interwoven
by jazzywazzy08
Summary: in order to fake her death bonnie must go into hiding with only the salvatore brothers for company. in her isolation she grows closer to both stefan and damon, and learns more about her family history.  stefan and damon search for a way for bonnie to face off with klaus that won't end in her death from overuse of power. they find a spell, but a bond of the blood must be formed.
1. part one : the girl wakes

**title:** interwoven

**rating: **m

**genre:** au/canon

**pairing:** bonnie/stefan, bonnie/damon, stefan/bonnie/damon, bonnie/klaus (one-sided), stefan/klaus (one-sided), stefan/bonnie/klaus (very minor), matt/caroline, caroline/tyler, matt/caroline/tyler, brief bonnie/jeremy, brief stefan/elena, brief damon/elena (mostly one-sided), etc.

**summary:** in order to fake her death bonnie must go into hiding with only the salvatore brothers for company. in her isolation she grows closer to both stefan and damon, and learns more about her family history. with the sacrifice looming, stefan and damon search for a way for bonnie to face off with klaus that won't end in her death from overuse of power. they find a spell that allows bonnie to channel her powers through them, but a bond of the blood must be formed. a bond that forces both brothers to confront their budding feelings for bonnie._ au from 2x18 "the last dance"_

**warnings:** sexual content, pre-polyamory, polyamory, multiple polyamorous pairings, language, violence, slightly dub-con, character death, out of character behaviors, ect.

_**Author's Note: So, this is a fic voted on by the folks over on Tumblr. Initially this had been going to be a love triangle fic but I am going to say screw it and go the poly route in the same vein as honeytrap. This fic takes place during, 2x18, "The Last Dance". However, instead of hiding out in some creepy ass basement of a house that is decrepit and doesn't have running water and is basically the grave site to a bunch of witches that shouldn't have died in the first place, Bonnie gets to hide away in a much better location that is isolated and idyllic before the shit hits the fan. It pretty much goes from there. Also, Jeremy and Elena were still tolerable people for the most part circa Season 2 and so I am going to go with that, and their characterization is going to mostly focus on their family bond and them trying to be good friends, which they arguably still were at that point in time, for the most part I guess. This is somewhat of a slow burn. Or as slow as I go. A lot of the pairings listed with show up in later chapters. I am going to chop and screw canon a bit so be prepared. Jeremy is not going to get shot in this, I am skipping that whole storyline. The Liz stuff is literally going to be used as a vehicle for the poly pairing with Matt/Caroline/Tyler. Not sure how long this will be but we'll see. Not editing here and I am running on little to no sleep so I hope this is coherent. Happy reading! **_

**part one ||the girl wakes**

"_She had waited all her life for something, and it had killed her when it found her._

― _**Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God**_

_**Mystic Falls, Virginia**_

Death was something that Bonnie Bennett had feared for most of her life. She remembered the moment that she had discovered what death was. When it became less of an ill understood concept and more of a reality. It was the day that Sheila Bennett had told her that her grandfather would not be coming home. She'd been seven years old when her grandmother had lost the love of her life in a to a sudden heart attack. When she'd seen her grandfather in his casket, so cold and so still, she'd realized that life was not as permanent a thing as it seemed.

After Sheila herself passed, well, death became a sort of inevitability. A pattern that people like her, witches, couldn't seem to escape. Like some cruel twist of fate, the very cost of their existence. Once they discovered what they were, once the world discovered, they'd be burned one way or the other. At the stake, or in their life experience. "It never ends well for people like me," she'd told Jeremy, and she'd meant it.

She'd buried her grandmother for that reason. She'd read it in the pages of Emily Bennett's grimoire. She'd heard in the screams of agony in the hundred dead witches whose powers she'd channeled. It never ended well. As much as she wanted to escape the world of the supernatural, it was not something that she could do. It came for her again and again. Like some cruel twisted answer to all the times she'd complained that nothing exciting ever happened in her small town as a child.

She was no longer a child, but still just a teenager, but she didn't feel like it. At seventeen, she had suffered more than most. Lost more than most. Not just her Grams. But the mother that had abandon her. The grandfather that had been more of a father to her than the one that she loved, but was never home. She'd lost her innocence. She'd lost a bit of her humanity as well. It made her feel much older than her years.

She had her friends, and she had Jeremy. She couldn't lose them, and so she did what she could to protect them, even though the fear of death never left her.

From the moment she channeled the power of the hundred witches that had died before her, she'd known death was close. She hadn't even needed their warning. And the fear she had felt all her life had ebbed, because what she had been waiting for, what she had accepted was coming, had come and she found that she was ready and willing to face it. Or she had thought she was.

Using the power would kill her, but it would also protect her best friend. Her life would be over, but she'd finally be free of the supernatural. She'd even be able to see her Grams again. She told Jeremy she had a fifty percent chance of survival to protect his feelings, because like her, he'd lost so many people that he'd cared about, that he'd loved, already. But she knew that in the end her fate would be her fate.

Then the night of the decade dance came. She felt a sense of foreboding from the moment Elena flashed her the flier. Still, she'd put on her red boots and psychedelic dress. Fixed her hair and forced a smile. Forced the ill feeling down. But even as she reassured Jeremy, when she hugged him, she felt as if she were saying goodbye. When she looked at Damon over his shoulder, saw his eyes narrow at her, she felt that perhaps she wasn't the only one that felt something thick and cold in the air.

She wasn't lying to Jeremy about being able to feel the witches whose power she was channeling, about feeling empowered by them. But she also felt their unease. Felt that they could see and hear and know things that she wasn't able to know yet.

By the time Klaus was exposed and it was revealed that he had been possessing Alaric's body all along, she wasn't as shocked by the revelation as she should have been. _Of course, it's him_, she thought. It seemed that the fate that she had long since accepted, the fate that she'd talked about with Jeremy and tried to hide from Elena, again and again, had come for her.

She thought she was prepared. That she was strong enough. And power wise she was. But she didn't have the experience to back it up. Didn't have the knowledge to break the spell that had been cast to protect Klaus while he inhabited Alaric's body. And her body, well, powerhouse or no, she was still human. Still had the body of any normal teenage girl in spite of the power brewing beneath and buzzing in her very blood. Before that night, her fear had turned to acceptance. But then she'd heard Klaus's words on Alaric's lips. When he told her that he had come to kill not Elena, but her, plain and simple, her fear sparked anew.

She'd thought that when she was faced with death, her life would flash before her eyes. That's what the cliché was, wasn't it? But Bonnie's existence had been far from the norm thus far, and she wasn't shocked to find that, that wasn't the way it was. Instead she thought about the things she'd yet to do. The places she had yet to travel. The goals she had yet to reach. She'd never go to Paris. She'd never go to college. She'd never find her mother and get answers. She'd never see the look on her father's face when she graduated. Never make love. Never marry. Never play the piano again. A skill she had abandon after her Grams hadn't been there to sit next to her on the piano bench and sing old jazz standards anymore. She'd never master her Grams chocolate chip cookie recipe. Never get to wear the dress Diana Ross wore when she played Billie Holiday in _Lady Sings the Blues _to prom. Never master her powers. Never try all the spells she had come across that she'd wanted to give a go, just for the fun of it. Never learn her full history. Never meet another witch that was good and alive and could relate to her and give her that feeling safety and kinship and family that she'd only ever felt snatches of with her Grams and then Lucy, before it was taken away. The list went on and on. The big things and the small things, so quickly it shocked her because it had been so long since she'd thought beyond the moment. It'd been so long since she'd actually thought about what she wanted. So long since her thoughts had ventured outside of the forethought it took to protect those around her.

Then Damon was there, and she could tell as he looked at her that he could see, see beyond the fear and false bravado, was the desire to live. That even though she was willing to do whatever it took to save Elena; to lay it all out on the line, she didn't want it to come down to what they both knew it would.

"No," he said, blue eyes wide and determined as they locked with hers, "Klaus does not get to win tonight, no way. You're not going to die."

Even with the unease still stirring in her gut, she believed him. And with one statement, he gave her something more dangerous than the threat against her life. He gave her hope. Hope that she would survive.

The plan went simple. Developed quickly. A spell that Damon explained to her so fast, in such precise detail and with so little thought, that she knew it was one he had to have read over and over again. Knew that it was one he had found himself. Knew that he suspected from the moment that he took her to the house where all the witches that came before her had been burned, that there would be consequences. Knew that he had thought it might come to that one spell. One spell to fake her death. One spell to save her life. One spell to buy them time, to find a way that she could use all of that power and still live. That the words she had uttered as they danced earlier in the night were true, "Careful, Damon. I might start to think you actually care." That after all of the hatred, the threats, the tolerance, the bickering, the fights and the banter, he _did_ care. He gave a damn whether she lived or died.

She knew then that if _even Damon_ could value her life, she wasn't just a ritual sacrifice whose blood was to be shed on the altar for Elena's sake. She mattered to the people around her. To Jeremy. To Elena. To Caroline. To Matt. To Stefan. Even to Damon. That even if Elena lived, it would _mean something _if Bonnie died. She had so much life left, and the impact she would leave behind, wasn't as small as she perceived.

"I have the power," Bonnie said, "But the spell...it takes experience, that I don't have." She still recalled his words from the night the Gilbert device went off and caused the accident. The night Caroline wound up in the hospital. The night Elena had asked her if she knew a spell to save Caroline. "_No, you don't... because it took Emily _years _to learn a spell like that_." She didn't have years to learn to master her crafts. To learn to wield the power that ran through her veins. Not anymore. If she ever had. "What if I mess it up? What if I don't wake up?"

Damon gripped her shoulders. "You _will_. You can do this," he said, "Have faith in yourself, little witch. I do." Faith that she had asked Jeremy to have in her, Damon had in that moment. While Jeremy's fear for her safety could possibly have saved her life since he had gotten Damon involved in the first place, his doubt in her abilities had caused her to doubt herself. But Damon,...in that moment Damon didn't falter. "Even if you have to go down, do it fighting," he told her, "Make him hurt. Make him suffer. Make him feel it. Then the next time he sees you, when he realizes that_ you_ bested him, that _you're still alive _and powerful enough to take him down, _he'll _be the one that's afraid."

It was almost easy then. To waltz determinedly down the hallway. To slam the door to the cafeteria open. To break the bones of the monster inhabiting her History teacher's body. Even when she felt the blood drip from her nose and fall to the white tile floor. It was easy, with his words ringing in her head to look into the Devil's eyes and smirk as she threw all she had at him and only got a snide, "Is that all you've got?", in response.

It was easy to let the words slip from her lips. "Let's find out."

She hesitated when Elena and Stefan showed up. When she heard Elena's screams and Stefan's voice pleading for her to let them in as she slammed the cafeteria doors, locking them out with her powers. Faltered at the sound of their fists banging on the glass windows of the cafeteria door. The sound of Stefan's slamming his body into the door again and again, using all the supernatural strength he possessed in an effort to break it down, all in vain. She wasn't surprised to see the fear in Elena's eyes, not surprised to see the tears and hear the words of protest leaving her best friend's lips. She _was_ surprised to see the terror on Stefan's face. To see the horror and the panic there.

Neither Elena nor Stefan knew the truth. They knew nothing about the plan that Bonnie and Damon had concocted on the fly. They thought she was walking to her death. In a way she was. While Elena's reaction to her imminent demise was expected, Stefan's wasn't. Her eyes met his green ones and he looked devasted and no less terrified than he had before she'd locked eyes with him, but there was a softness there, a fondness she realized that had always been there when he looked at her. Each time he saved her. Each time he protected her.

She thought about the night she had gone to the ruins of Fell's Church alone. Thought about the ground giving out under her feet and being afraid as she faced the sealed tomb and listened to its inhabitants of the desiccated vampires writhing on the inside. She remembered Stefan appearing. His arms around her. The words he had whispered so gently, "_Trust me_." And she had, and he had gotten her out.

She needed him to trust her now. To understand that she knew what she was doing. For him to have faith in her the way that Damon had, even without knowing her and Damon's plan, in a way that Jeremy's fear of losing another girlfriend kept him from doing. Which was how the possibility of her dying had gotten out in the first place. She didn't blame Jeremy, but she needed someone to believe that she was strong enough for what lay ahead in that moment. She needed someone that believed that no matter what she would do what needed to be done. Someone that would understand her sacrifice. Because spell, or no spell, her heart would stop beating, and that was no small feat.

So, she looked to Stefan in that moment. Locked her eyes on his green gaze and mouthed, "_Trust me_."

Stefan stilled, his gaze still soft as he looked at her and nodded once. Bonnie smiled as she saw from the expression on his face that she had given him what Damon had given her. Hope.

Bonnie turned back to face the enemy. She didn't falter again. She gave herself over to her power until she fell to the cafeteria floor. It was easy to let the last bit of breath leave her lungs and feel the low thrum of her heartbeat until it stopped. Easy to meet the fate that she had waited for so long, head on. Easy to die, knowing that, even death was something she could survive. After all, in order to raise for the ashes, first the phoenix must burn.

:::

_**Shenandoah Valley, Virginia **_

Damon Salvatore had watched more than one Bennett woman die throughout the course of his existence. None of them had been as young as Bonnie Bennett. Not even Emily when her time had come.

In all honesty, he'd grown desensitized to death in any form. He had protected the Bennett line for a long time, and while many of the witches he'd seen had died from old age, there was always one or two that slipped through his fingers. One or two that he had gotten there too late to save. None that he had been particularly close to in the later generations., however.

After Katherine, he'd barely managed to let _anyone_ close after all. And the Bennetts, even the ones that had known of his promise to Emily, being witches, hadn't trusted Damon as far as they could launch him with a well-placed incantation. They kept him at a distance, and so, none of them had stung as much as Emily had when they died. He'd hadn't known them. Hadn't developed any feelings toward any of them at all outside of indifference, be it hate or a grudging sort of fondness. None that was, until Bonnie.

There were parallels in their relationship, to the one he had had with Emily, from the start. Though, calling his interactions with Emily a relationship was a bit of a stretch. He had developed a sort of friendship with her as a human. But once he had been turned, things had changed. Or perhaps it had changed the deeper he got involved with Katherine. Yes, that had been it. The harder he fell for Katherine; the more distant Emily had become. Still, she trusted him enough to request that he protect her line when she knew the end was coming, and he had still tried to save her.

Emily had been an enigma to him. Even in death, she still was. He hadn't always known what she'd wanted from him or what he wanted from her. They'd always been dancing around something, or towards something and never quite reaching it. Admittedly there had been times when he had felt a charged sort of sexual tension between them, something that hadn't changed even in her death. But nothing had ever come of it.

He was beginning to get the same sort of confused feelings in terms of Bonnie. Not knowing what he wanted from her, or she from him. The tension was there, between them as well. Even stronger and more charged. Not that either of them would ever acknowledge, but it was something he'd felt from their first interactions, even when she'd feared him.

Unlike with Emily, his relationship with Bonnie had started off combative. Now though, it wasn't quite that, but they weren't exactly friends either. He'd developed the same grudging respect for Bonnie as he had for Emily. Bonnie, like her predecessor, saw right through him. However, while he and Emily had started out cordial and their connection had soured with her death, his growing love for Katherine, and the passage of time, it had been the opposite with Bonnie. What started as hatred, judgement and fear on her part, and animosity, indifference, and intrigue on his part had shifted over time. Slowly but surely, he'd started to care, just like she'd accused him of when they danced. But caring, wasn't an option. Not where the witch was concerned. "We wouldn't want that," he'd told her, and he'd been serious.

Caring for someone was dangerous, it meant that he had something to lose. And losing the witch was an inevitability that wouldn't have any real effect on him, or... it was _supposed _to be. It was something he had known even before she'd harnessed all that power. She was one person, and he'd been around enough witches to know that she wouldn't be able to wield that much power without consequence.

It shouldn't have bothered him. Not after all the death he had seen. It had. And so, he'd swiped a few of the grimoires when they'd packed up the Martin's place. Started scouring them the minute he and Stefan had come to the conclusion that Bonnie was their secret weapon. It hadn't taken long to find the spell that a witch could use to mimic death. He memorized it. Read it over and over again. Before bed. Upon waking. Once or twice throughout the day.

He told himself it was an insurance policy. That he only cared so that Bonnie could stay alive long enough to take Klaus down and whatever happened afterwards would be left up to nature. It'd been a lie, of course. He'd been forced to reconcile that with himself the minute he'd overheard Bonnie and Jeremy talking about the odds being against her. He cared about whether Bonnie Bennett lived or died, not because they needed her to save Elena or because of some promise he'd made to Emily that he had long since broken. No, he cared about whether Bonnie lived or died because he_ cared_ about Bonnie Bennett.

His first thought after he placed her body in the trunk of his car, just in case he was being watched, was to get her somewhere safe. He thought about the house where the witches were burned but he doubted it'd be comforting to be at the site of so much death after having experienced the night Bonnie had. After her heart had stopped beating because of the very powers she had channeled there. No. It wasn't an option. He thought only a moment before he came up with an alternative, Emily's cabin.

Technically Emily had never actually gotten to live there. She'd prepared it as a refuge for herself, her mother, her siblings, and her brother's children when she felt the writing on the wall when it came to the Town Council coming after all things supernatural. The plan had been to get her family out first and then come back for her. He'd been successful at only part of the plan.

Ever since then, the Bennetts had occupied the cabin at different times every few generations, and when they didn't, when it was empty, Damon took it upon himself to take care of the upkeep. He suspected Stefan did as well, and he was more than sure that Stefan had brought Sheila there as a safe haven when she'd pissed off one cop too many during her college protest period, but for the most part, it was Damon that had kept the place up to date. Renovated it when needed.

So, he drove pass the town limits. Pulled over and moved Bonnie from the trunk to the back seat once he crossed the town lines, made sure she was comfortable, and kept driving until he reached the two-story cabin just outside of the Shenandoah Valley.

Once he parked, turned off the engine and got out of the car, he carried Bonnie into the cabin, up the stairs and into the room that was meant for Emily that she had never got to inhabit. He laid her on the bed and waited. Waited and watched her as she lay there, so still, so brave, and so beautiful.

After what felt like forever, he heard the low thrum of her heart and the beginnings of shallow breathing. Then she was gasping for air and sitting up in a panic. His arms were around her in seconds. "You're okay," he whispered, "You're alive. You did it."

Bonnie clung to him, her tears soaking his shirt. "I did it," she repeated, "I'm alive. I'm alive."

They stayed like that awhile and Damon couldn't help but enjoy the feel of her warm and vulnerable in his arms.

Then she'd stiffened, said something about her dress being uncomfortable. "Where am I anyway?"

"Emily's cabin," he said, and explained it's history, "The place is warded. Spells older than you or me. You'll be safe here. Comfortable. Until we figure things out."

A beat passed and she asked after a bathroom. He pointed her in the direction. She moved to stand, but her legs were shaky. He pushed her gently back onto the bed until she was sitting. Bent down and helped her out of her boots. She stared at him as he stood afterwards and held a hand out to her. She took it and he silently helped her walk to the bathroom.

"I think I've got it," she said as they reached the door. The door closed behind her and then not too long afterwards he heard the shower running.

He realized he hadn't brought her any clothes. Wasn't invited into her house so he couldn't get her things. He ran down to his car and dug through the trunk, found one of his old shirts there. A black button down. It would have to suffice until he was able to get her something else.

He came back inside, went through the linen closet and found the towels he'd stocked were still there. He walked back into the room Emily had never gotten to inhabit and entered the adjoining bathroom. He left both the shirt and towel on the bathroom counter for Bonnie, just managing not to take a peek at her naked form through the frosted glass of the shower stall.

He went into the kitchen, made her tea with lavender. He waited and wondered what the hell they would do now. How were they going to find an answer to keeping Bonnie alive?

Before long Bonnie came into the kitchen wearing nothing but his shirt, her outfit from the dance, including her boots, balled up in her arms.

"You look good in my shirt," he said, without thinking.

"Oh...um...Thanks." Bonnie blushed and he thought about the possibility of never seeing her flustered again. Never hearing her voice. Never seeing her face. "Does this place have a fireplace?"

It did. He showed her where it was, lit and stoked a fire. Bonnie burned her dress and boots. They watched them go up in smoke as Bonnie drank her tea and Damon downed a glass of whiskey.

"Damon," Bonnie said, her voice hesitant, "thank you. Not just for...for everything you did tonight. Thank you."

Damon didn't look away from the flames when he said. "Thank me once we find a way to keep you alive."

Bonnie smiled, nudged him playfully. "Awww, you _do_ care," she said, her tone on the verge of joking.

Damon set his glass down and threw a log into the fireplace. He turned back to Bonnie. "Maybe I do."

She stared. He could tell she didn't know what to say. It was one thing to tease him about something she didn't think was true and another to have to face him admitting to it.

"Get some rest," he said into the silence, "I'm going to go get, Stefan."

She nodded and he turned and began to walk away. He stopped when she called after him. "Hey Damon," she said, "I know I've threatened to kill you or whatever but...um...I don't actually want you dead. At least...not at the moment."

Damon smiled. "Careful, witchy, I might start to think you actually care."

Bonnie laughed, gripping the mug he'd given her in both hands. "Wouldn't want that."

In all actuality, as far as Bonnie went, Damon knew that was the closest thing to, "_I care about you, too,_" that he was likely ever going to get.

**:::**

_**Mystic Falls, Virginia **_

Stefan Salvatore hadn't realized how close attention he'd paid to the sound of Bonnie Bennett's heartbeat until it stopped. She'd been wary of him from the beginning and it had been the reason, at first, that he had been so soft in his approach with her. Even when she'd kept her protest mostly silent aside from telling Elena to be careful around him, the pattering of her heart would give her away. Her anxiety. Her fear. The only tell would be the low intense drumming. It had been the reason, more than anything, on the night shortly after he'd first arrived and Elena had insisted on them having dinner together, that he had given the speech about the revolutionary aspects of Salem witches.

Over time things had changed. His softness became more genuine, a thing born of his growing fondness for Bonnie. He became protective of her, and still used her heartbeat as a rule of thumb in their interactions.

He'd listened to it slow and lull to almost nonexistence on the night that Damon had attacked her when Emily had possessed her. Laid his head upon her chest and took in the low murmur. He'd heard it pounding the night he'd found her stuck in the tomb that had held the imprisoned vampires the night Sheila Bennett had trusted him to find Bonnie and keep her safe. The night he had bade Bonnie to do the same. "_Trust me._" The night he'd wrapped his arms around her and leapt out of the hole in the ground and her heart had sputtered in a way that he wasn't entirely sure had to do with fear and adrenaline.

Her heartbeat had been the first thing he had noticed when she'd returned to town after Sheila Bennett's death. The way the anger and resentment she held towards him had caused her heart to hammer at the sight of him before calming slightly. The list of moments went on and on and yet nothing had prepared him for the shock and horror of hearing Bonnie's heart slow to a complete stop.

When it happened, when he and Elena had run into the room after Bonnie collapsed and for the first time when he listened for the sound of her heartbeat, Stefan heard nothing, he'd been stunned into silence. Felt her wrist for a pulse and found nothing. Looked around as he were in some alternate dimension where, left was right and right was left. Where Bonnie Bennett was no more. As if he could walk through the right door and he'd been in a realm where she was there, her heart beating, smiling that crooked smile at him.

Nothing got through to him in that moment. Not Elena's pleas to give Bonnie blood. Not Damon entering the room. Not Klaus, still in Alaric's body, vanishing. Not even the silent promise the he had made to Bonnie to trust her. It could have just been words of comfort after all. Not to give him hope but to assuage him of his guilt in her last moments. Because it was something that Bonnie would do. Think of him, think of_ everyone else_ as she walked into her own death. It was something _he _would do, which was why he understood, even if it didn't make him feel any better. Nothing could have made him feel better in that moment aside from hearing the sound of Bonnie's heart beating again.

Elena's words broke through the fog finally. "Stefan! Stefan, I can't find her pulse! Stefan! Do something, please! Stefan, _please_! Just give her blood, do something,_ please_!"

Stefan felt cold. "It's too late. I'm sorry." But he wasn't talking to Elena, not really. He was talking to Bonnie. "_I'm sorry_," he repeated.

From somewhere he couldn't explain. Some voice,_ her_ voice, that was likely just inside his head, said to him again, "_Trust me._"

"I trust you," he whispered. Believing in that moment, he would hear the sound of her heartbeat again.

Then Damon's words, prompted him into action. His brother stared at him, eyed him strangely. "Stefan! _Stefan_! Get Elena out of here. I'll deal with the body."

Elena protested, but Stefan did as he was told. Helped her to his feet and removed her from the room, screaming and crying. His gaze kept moving back to Bonnie's body on the ground and his brother hovering over her. Damon's eyes and face were blank, betraying no emotions, offering no reassurance. If he knew something, Stefan wouldn't know yet.

He looked at Bonnie one last time._ I trust you_, he thought.

He took Elena back to the boardinghouse. Was unable to offer any real words of comfort. Made her tea and realized absently, he'd used the bags he'd gotten specifically for when Bonnie came over. Bags full of herbs that Bonnie had picked from her grandmother's garden and ground together with mortar and pestle before funneling them into press and seal tea bags she'd gotten on wholesale. Lavender and chamomile in one batch. Lemon and ginger in another.

Stefan brewed the tea on autopilot and brought it to Elena. Lavender and chamomile. He knew it would calm her. Though it would do nothing for the grief. The tea was be-spelled. She'd sleep. Bonnie somehow was still managing to take care of Elena even after her heart had stopped beating. "Hey. Here, drink this," Stefan murmured.

Elena shook her head. "I can't." And then, "This is my fault."

He knew what it was to feel guilt. He felt his own guilt in that moment over Bonnie. Had been of the same mind and still was, when it came to Lexi's death. "No," Stefan shook his head, "This was Klaus. _Klaus_ did this."

But he had come for Elena and they had found out too late, the lengths Bonnie was willing to go to protect her. "She wasn't supposed to die. _We're seventeen_, Stefan. We're still figuring everything out. She was just coming into her own. With her powers. With Jeremy. Maybe they wouldn't have been together forever anyway, but that should have been _her_ choice. It shouldn't have been ripped away for her. Just like that, she has no future? All the plans she had, and all the ones we made together are just gone? We were going to travel. Be roommates in college. Figure everything out together as we went along, just like we've been doing since the first grade. Now she's gone. She was supposed to grow up. Decide if she wanted to get married and start a family. Grow old. She was supposed to have a lifetime of those choices, and...now? That's all gone. And she did it for me. What makes my life any more important? If I get to make those choices, if I survive this...what does it matter if I don't have my best friend to share those experiences with?"

He saw it then. She was just a girl. Bonnie had been just a girl. It had taken a toll, the weight of what all of this had brought into their lives. And Bonnie had lost hers. Stefan didn't know what to say. There was nothing _he could_ say.

Damon arrived, with Jeremy in tow and he could see that there was resentment and anger mixed in the grief on the boy's face. "I told _you_ so you could stop her," he said, "You didn't stop her."

The guilt was beginning to consume. Eat him alive.

Damon took him aside. Advised that they leave the siblings to comfort one another. "We've seen too much death to be effected by it the way they are," Damon said, looking over at the two, "It's muted in us. We won't do them any good if we stay."

A part of Stefan agreed, even if a larger part of him was telling him to stay and comfort Elena the best he could. Still, his agreement with his brother's assessment of things wasn't why he followed Damon out of the boardinghouse and out to his car. Nor was it his own feelings of guilt over not being able to stop Bonnie the way that Jeremy had hoped, though they were there. It was something else that moved him, something Bonnie's last words to him had unearthed. Hope.

He climbed in on the passenger's side and waited as Damon got in on the driver's side. When the doors closed, he turned to his brother. "Do you have something you want to tell me?" Stefan asked.

Damon looked at him, his face hard, determined. He started his car and pulled out of the driveway. "This doesn't go past me and you," he said, "No one knows about this. Not Elena. Not Jeremy. Understand?"

He'd promised Elena, no more secrets. They both had. But if it meant what he thought it meant, what he _hoped _it meant, the promise would just have to be broken. "Fine," he said, "Now tell me."

"Bonnie had to die," Damon started and Stefan tensed, but stayed silent, allowing him to finished, "Klaus using Alaric's body was a total surprise. She wasn't prepared for that. And he wasn't going to stop, and we weren't going to be able to stop him until he _knew_ she was dead. He had to _believe_ it." He paused and the, "She cast a spell. She's okay."

Stefan's whole body relaxed. "She said to trust her," he whispered, and then glared at Damon, "You could've told me. Do you understand what you put Elena through tonight?" _What you put _me_ through?_ Went unsaid, but hung in the air in the silence that followed.

"Elena's reaction needed to be real. If I had told you, you would've gone blabbing to your girlfriend and she can't know," Damon said, "Not even now. No one can know. We need genuine grief. Klaus has obviously been watching us and he's still watching. He has no problems compelling anyone and who knows how many students he got to at that dance before we figured out who he was. Who knows where he has eyes? If we slip up for even a second, and he finds out Bonnie is still alive it could put her at risk. Whatever he sees or hears needs to confirm that Bonnie is dead. That we don't have a hope in hell, of protecting Elena now that she's gone."

"So that's the only reason you helped Bonnie get out," Stefan spat, "So we had a hope in hell in saving Elena. So, you saved her, only to let her die once she has to go up against Klaus again. No. The odds are still against her if she uses that power. I'm not letting anything happen to her, Damon. We'll find a way to protect them _both_."

"And what if it's Bonnie's choice," Damon said, "She made the choice to die for Elena tonight, even before she and I came up with our little contingency plan to buy us all some time and keep her alive. The plan didn't change on her end until she realized she'd die without killing Klaus because of that protective spell. If we can't find a way to save them both and Bonnie makes the same choice again what can _you_ really do about it besides let her, Stefan?"

"I won't let that happen," Stefan repeated, "She wouldn't choose death. She wants to live. She won't say it. She'll make it seem like she's okay with it. Like she's not terrified. Like she doesn't have a whole life ahead of her she wants to live. She'll say she's fine to make it alright for everyone else. But it's not alright, Damon. She wants to live; she just wants to protect the people she cares about too and she thinks there's only one way to do that. But she's wrong. She's not going to die for Elena or anyone else. We'll find another way. Even if we have to fight till the very last moment."

Damon huffed. "That's funny coming from you, Stefan," he said, "I mean, Bonnie made the choice tonight to put it all on the line for Elena. It was her choice. _Hers_. The irony is you tell me all of the time to respect _Elena's_ choices. Let her do her thing, even if it puts her in the line of fire. Even if she's willing to sacrifice herself for the people she cares about. You tell me to keep a clear head and let her do it. You're all about agency and being upfront and not trying to control the situation, when it comes to Elena. But the _minute_ Jeremy told you what Bonnie planned on doing your first instinct was to play super vamp and stop her. Why is that?"

Stefan frowned. "If Bonnie died for Elena, you know what that would do to her. You've seen it firsthand tonight."

"She'd get over it," Damon said, "She'd moved on. The same way she did after her parents and Isobel. Guilt doesn't live with you forever, little brother. Well it lives with _you _forever...but the rest of us normal people learn to suck it up and move on. But you know that. You say I have a blind spot when it comes to Elena, but yours when it comes to Bonnie is a mile wide. If I had told you what we were planning sooner, you would've come rushing in on your white horse to play knight in shining armor. _Exactly_, like you did tonight when Jeremy came to you. The same way you did the night I attacked Bonnie when Emily possessed her, and when Bonnie got stuck at the ruins, and when that asshole Ben took her, and the list goes on and on. Tell yourself you did it for Elena all you want. I don't really give a damn. All I know is, I did what needed to be done and I wasn't going to let _you _get in the way. If Bonnie thought you could handle it, she would've come to you herself."

A part of Stefan knew that he was right. Bonnie hadn't come to him. Had he found out before Jeremy told him, what harnessing all of that power could do to Bonnie, he would've objected even before he told Elena. It didn't matter the reason, whether it was for Elena's sake or another reason altogether. "When was she going to tell me, Damon? There wasn't any time." Stefan frowned. "Even if she came to me when the witches gave her the warning about her power in the first place, we wouldn't have been able to come up with anything before Klaus attacked her tonight outside of her going into hiding and not going to that dance."

"Why do you think I bought us some time?" Damon sighed. "Where do you think Bonnie got the spell to fake her death in the first place? She's a novice. She's powerful, and strong. But she doesn't have the experience that we have. She's never faced a threat like this. And we need time to plan. I figured Klaus would come after her first. Even without the power she's channeling, she's always been our best chance against him. So, I looked up the spell as a contingency plan and it's a damn good thing that I did. I know you want to save them both Stefan. In an ideal world, we'll be able to do that. But at the end of the day, we need to kill Klaus. _ Real_ Klaus. Who will probably be coming to pay your little girlfriend a visit soon now that as far as he thinks he knows, Bonnie is dead. She's the only one who can do it. I'll do what I can to make sure Bonnie survives the fight but let me be clear about something. If it comes down to Elena and the witch again, I will _gladly_ let Bonnie die."

Stefan stared back at him unimpressed. When he made grand declarations like that, it would only mean that he'd end up eating his words later. Stefan couldn't even say that, and his love for Elena went well past the realm of Damon's present infatuation with her. Stefan would sooner die protecting them both, than let anything happen to Elena or Bonnie and he was sure Damon was well aware of as much. So, he'd do what it took to make sure Bonnie lived through her next encounter with Klaus, to make sure Stefan didn't do anything altruistic if nothing else. "Keep telling yourself that Damon," Stefan shook his head, "But we both know that, if the only thing you thought of Bonnie as was collateral damage, you wouldn't be working this hard to make sure she lives."

"And why are you?" Damon asked. Her glanced at Stefan; his eyes narrowed. "I saw the way you reacted tonight. Saw the devastation on your face when you thought she was dead. I knew you had a soft for her little brother, but never would've guessed it ran that deep. You've always played the hero where she was concerned. The good brother. That's why I knew better than to involve you. But this goes way beyond your hero complex. And don't tell me it's because you don't want Elena to lose her best friend. We both know that if all you thought of Bonnie as, was Elena's little bosom buddy, you wouldn't be so hellbent on saving both of them, even if it means risking Elena's life to do it. Because that's what we're doing brother. With Bonnie in hiding, Elena is vulnerable. One of us will have to be with Bonnie at all times if we're going to find a way around her dying and to make sure no one comes looking for her, which will lead to Elena having even less protection. I doubt you'd be alright with that if there wasn't more to it than you're letting on."

"Would you?" Stefan shot back. He received no answer, and expected none. "Whatever point you're getting at," Stefan said, "It doesn't matter. All you're proving right now is that we both care about Bonnie."

"Some of us a lot more than others," Damon scoffed.

Stefan rolled his eyes; he wasn't going to have the same argument the whole time they were on the road. "Where is Bonnie anyway?" Stefan asked.

"Somewhere safe," Damon responded, his eyes focused on the road.

"If that's the case," Stefan said, taking one last shot at him, "After we check in on her, we can leave her to her own devices, right? If you're so worried about Elena having less protection that is. Bonnie has the power of one hundred dead witches, if she's in a safe spot on top of all of that then why does she need one of us to babysit her. You know more than anyone, that she can handle herself. She'd have plenty of time to research how she could save herself as well. Not like she can go to school or anything. And since you don't care and all, leaving her alone shouldn't be a problem."

"Like you'd pull a stunt like that. Like you'd let _me _pull a stunt like that," Damon laughed.

Stefan huffed. "Like you'd want to," Stefan said.

He wasn't sure what either of them was trying to prove but they were treading dangerous territory. It was one thing to acknowledge Damon's feelings for Elena, Bonnie was a different animal. Acknowledging Damon's fondness of Bonnie wouldn't have been a big deal if Stefan wasn't threatened by it in some way. Which made no sense. He considered Bonnie to be a friend, even if she didn't consider him one. But there was nothing more there, so why should he care about how Damon felt about her one way or the other?

They drove the rest of the way in silence. Four hours passed. Might've been quicker but Damon made a stop at Bonnie's house. Talked her dad into inviting him in. Came out with a bag of Bonnie's belongings and then they were driving again. Taking winding back roads, careful that they weren't being followed in the dark.

When they arrived, Stefan recognized the place immediately. "Emily's cabin," he said. He was hit with a bought of nostalgia. He had been back to the cabin a few times over the years. He sometimes felt as if he had been able to feel Emily's presence there, even if she had never really gotten to inhabit it.

"Like I said," Damon said as he pulled the car into park, "Somewhere safe."

As soon as Stefan left the car, he heard the sound of Bonnie's heartbeat. He let out of a breath in relief. Damon telling him she was fine, wasn't the same as hearing the steady beat of her heart.

He sped up the cabin steps even before Damon could retrieve Bonnie's belongings from where he had tossed them on the backseat.

He touched the doorknob, twisted, found it unlocked and walked through the door. Had long sense been invited in. He followed the sound of her heartbeat until he found her. She stood at the kitchen island. She'd changed out of her dress into an oversized dark button-down shirt. It wasn't hers, the shirt. It might've been Damon's. He frowned at the thought. But it didn't matter what she was wearing, really. She was there. Breathing and beautiful. Her heart beating steadily.

"I didn't think you'd be back so quickly," Bonnie said, still not looking at him as she walked over to the refrigerator, "Did you get a chance to talk to….," she pulled out a bottle of water, closed the door to the fridge, and turned at the last minute, "Stefan?" She looked surprised a moment and then smiled. "You came," she said, "With Elena…I wasn't sure you would. I figured you wouldn't worry once Damon explained."

Stefan swallowed. "I needed to see for myself," he whispered, and then, "I'm really glad you're alive." She smiled wider and Stefan felt himself return it before saying, "I wish you had come to me."

Bonnie walked over to him and looked on the brink of tears. "I wanted to," she said, "Before…tonight. I wanted to. I knew if anyone would understand me being willing to sacrifice myself,_ you would_. But I was afraid you'd tell Elena, and I knew you'd try to stop me even if you didn't tell, even if you understood. Then Klaus showed up and there wasn't time…I'm sorry."

Stefan rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. "Damn it, Bonnie," he frowned, "You don't owe me an apology. That's not what this is about...seeing you like that tonight…I…Listen to me, I get the impulse, I do. I know your motives for putting yourself in the line of fire even knowing what could happen, what _did_ happen. But you can't…"

Bonnie bit her lip, and shook her head. "I don't want to," she looked down, as if almost ashamed of the admission and Stefan promised himself that he would never fail her again in a way that made her believe that even asking this much wasn't in her power if it meant that other lives were at stake, "I _never_ wanted to."

Stefan nodded. Took her face in his hands. "Then say it."

"Say what?" Bonnie asked.

"Say what you've been avoiding saying out loud," he said, "Because you think it'd be a burden to everyone. Because you know who else is at stake. Because you feel like you have to save everyone and spare everyone's feelings. Because you're afraid that no matter what you do, it won't be a possibility. But it's okay Bonnie, it's okay to feel it and it's okay to say it."

Tears did fall then, and he brushed them away with the pads of his thumbs. "I want to live," Bonnie said quietly, and then took a deep breath before repeating it more firmly, "I know that using this power, that dying doing it, is the only way to kill Klaus. It's the only way to save Elena. But I don't want to die. I want to _live_, Stefan."

She was trembling as if waiting for him to lash out. "Hey, it's okay. Come here," he said, pulling her into his arms. Her wrapped his arms around her, hugging her and half expecting to be pushed away. Instead she clung to him. "I promise, Bonnie, I'm going to do everything in my power to keep your heart beating."

Stefan heard footsteps behind him and knew the moment would soon be broken even before Damon said, "Well isn't this the sweetest thing."

Stefan felt Bonnie tense slightly and then she left her arms fall to her side. Stefan did the same, releasing her from his hold. "We already talked about this, Damon," he said, "I'm not going to let her die. So, if you want to fight me on this-"

"Who says I want to fight you, little brother?" Damon said. Stefan turned to face him. Damon waved a grimoire through the air. "If you're going to keep that promise, then we'd better get to work. All these grimoires, all these journals. Between the Martin's and Sheila's collections, there's got to be a loophole somewhere. And we're going to find it."

It had been a long time since he and Damon had worked together to do anything. Even when it came to keeping Elena alive, though they had the same end goal, their methods, their personalities, and the ever-present tension and jealousy kept them at odds. But in this, in saving the last of the Bennett line, they may finally have something, or someone that would keep them on the same page. They both owed a lot to Bonnie, to her family. To Emily. To Sheila. In all likelihood, it was a debt that they would never fully be able to repay. But this, this would be a start.

"Alright," Stefan said, taking Bonnie's hand and squeezing it, "Let's get to work."

**:::**

_**Shenandoah Valley, Virginia **_

Bonnie was alive. A living a breathing being, still. She was grateful, even if the fear didn't leave her.

She had a nightmare her first night in the cabin. In it her heart stopped and she ceased to breathe, only she didn't wake like she had in reality. Death had come for her and it had taken her. No coming back from it.

She woke up screaming and both Stefan and Damon were there. It mirrored when she had woken from the spell, except it wasn't just Damon's arms around her but Stefan's. Both their voices calming her.

They'd taken her into the kitchen, given her tea. When she went back to bed she hesitated before saying, "Can you stay until I fall asleep?"

They both moved towards her, glanced at one another and then stopped. An awkward silence followed.

It was Damon that broke the silence. "Which one?" Damon asked, his tone half joking, half serious.

Bonnie swallowed. "Both of you." She said. She didn't want to be alone and for some reason, against all odds she felt safe with them and she knew she'd feel safer with them both there. "I know it's a lot to ask-" she started, but was cut off.

"After what you did tonight," Stefan said, "You can ask us for _anything_."

They'd gotten in on either side of the bed and Bonnie felt odd that it didn't feel odd to have both of them wrapped around her, to hear them both whisper goodnight to her. They stayed until she fell asleep, and Bonnie was almost relieved they weren't there when she woke. Almost.

It was strange being in an isolated cabin in the middle of the woods and even stranger being there with the Salvatore brothers. Still it was nice being in a home that had been intended for her ancestor, even if Emily had never gotten to occupy the cabin.

Not only was she surrounded by a beautiful wooded area full of flora and fauna of all kinds, but the inside of the cabin held a history all its own. She'd found some of Emily's belongings that the Salvatore held on to. A dragonfly hair comb that Bonnie had taken to using to but her hair up when she was researching as it often fell into her face and eyes when she bent over grimoires in search of a way to save herself. A pink lace nightgown that she thought of wearing but felt would be inappropriate around the Salvatore, as more often than not, she ended up sharing a bed with or falling asleep over a grimoire near one or both them. There were also more journals of Emily's days before Mystic Falls, and before Katherine.

Bonnie's favorite room in Emily's cabin, wasn't really a room at all, it was the back porch. The back porch was a wraparound porch that was surrounded by a glass enclosure. The floor was covered in a mishmash of pillows, blankets and cushions that had piled up over the years. There was even a quilt that was made by her great, great grandmother out of scraps of old clothing. There were plants everywhere that Damon said were spelled to be perpetually in bloom. It was a like a little greenhouse. That's what Bonnie took to calling it, The Green Room. She spent most of her time there, during the day. So much time in fact, that by the third day, the floor was also covered in grimoires and she'd fallen asleep there, usually in the company of one or both vampire brothers, instead of in the bedroom that was set up for her upstairs.

She had done so that very day. She hadn't even realized she was sleep until Damon was shaking her awake and pressing a hot mug into her hands as she sat up. "Coffee?" She asked.

He nodded as he sat down on a pile of pillows next to her. "You've got to stay up," he said, "We're running out of time. We have to keep looking."

Bonnie smiled at the cinnamon stick straw in the cup. "I thought you said drinking it through a cinnamon stick was an abomination," Bonnie laughed.

Damon rolled his eyes. "It is," he said, "I've just decided not to hold your bad taste against you."

Bonnie huffed. "You've haven't even tried it," she laughed.

"And I don't plan on it," Damon said, as he opened one of the grimoires in his lap.

Bonnie heard Stefan before she saw him at the back-porch door. He was barefoot and in jeans and a red flannel shirt that Damon claimed was a cast off from Stefan's Seattle grunge phase on the first day they'd spent together. Bonnie had gotten into the habit of playing _Bush_ on her phone when he entered the room after that. After listening to, "The Chemicals Between Us", for the eighteenth time, Stefan had started hiding her phone.

Things had been awkward at first. The night of the dance, even though they had talked her down after her nightmare and shared a bed, they hadn't talked much after their declaration to save her. The next day was more of the same. Stefan had left most of the day and she and Damon had spent the day bent over grimoires and keeping their speaking to a bare minimum. Then she'd asked him about Emily, and he'd shown her a spell she'd like to do for fun. A levitation spell, not one she used on objects but herself. Of course, Bonnie had wanted to try it.

Bonnie had floated into the air and looked down at Damon from where he stood on the floor, and she'd said the first thing that popped into her head. "Is it weird that this just makes me want to reenact the scene from the end of Beetlejuice?"

Damon had laughed and shook his head. "Fine," he said, "but we're waiting until Stefan get's back. That way I'll be drunk by then and well...the guy really needs to loosen up."

And they had done it. With Bonnie floating in the air and causing havoc around the cabin with her powers, Damon dancing with a bottle of bourbon and Stefan complaining about feeling like an idiot the entire time. It was the most ridiculous thing Bonnie had ever done with her powers, and probably the most fun. They'd laughed together afterwards, and they'd shared the rest of Damon's bourbon and Bonnie almost forgot that the whole reason she was there in Emily's cabin, with the Salvatore brothers, was because there was an age-old vampire that wanted her dead. Things had gotten easier between them all after that.

They developed a sort of routine. One of them was always there with her during the day. Sometimes it was Stefan and he'd read to her out of Emily's favorite book, _The Light Princess_, that he could never explain why he had kept, during breaks between searching for a way to keep her alive.

"_He had fallen in love with her almost, already; for her anger made her more charming than anyone else had ever beheld her; and, as far as he could see, which certainly was not far, she had not a single fault about her, except, of course, that she had not any gravity. No prince, however, would judge of a princess by weight._" Read in low tones as Bonnie laid her head on his shoulder.

Or he'd show her pictures and tell her stories about the protests Grams had staged and organized in college. He'd play Sheila's favorite records and tell her of how he'd helped her grandfather court her. "She liked lilies but only freshly picked," Stefan told her once, "So we planted these seeds in her yard. They grew the next day. That's how he found out she was witch."

Sometimes it was Damon and he'd look up the most random spells for her to try. Levitation spells. Glamour spells to change her appearance. Aromatherapy. Even brewing potions. There was a collection of supplies and bottles and vials in the attics. Some of which had been there for generations. Bonnie's favorite was hand written book on folkloric magic that was interspersed with folk and fairy tales.

"What's the point of having all that power if you can't have fun with it?" Damon would say when Bonnie would protest.

Once he'd told her about the day that had Emily died. "She'd asked me to get her family out first," he said, "She had a brother and sisters in the town. Her mother. They would have come for them too. She knew it. Not all of them had powers but...they would have been guilty by association, you know. She wanted to make sure they were safe first. I thought that I'd have time to get to her but…I didn't. She's resents me for a lot of things, even in death. But...she never resented me for saving her family first. That's why she asked me to protect her line. She knew that I knew, that she would give up anything for her family. For the people she loved. Even her life. Sound familiar?"

It was odd, how comfortable she was becoming with him. How much she was getting used to spending time with them, with having them around. She was beginning to feel less alone, like the fight she was going into wasn't just her own. She was beginning to feel like she was worth knowing and being known. Like her family's history wasn't just one of loss, sacrifice and misery, but one of strength, determination, joy and mysticism.

She could almost see what Elena saw in them. They were friends now, they were close. She could admit that, even if it was just to herself.

Whoever didn't spend the day with Bonnie, went out to check in on Elena, and get information about where they stood in terms of the ever present threat of Klaus.

According to Stefan, Elena spent most of her time in the boardinghouse now. The deed was in her name, and so no one could come and go unless she said so. Without Bonnie, it was the safest place for her.

When Bonnie asked about her friends, she was almost surprised to hear that they were mourning her as heavily as they were. Elena barely ate, Stefan said. Jeremy was being self-destructive. Caroline barely spoke to anyone and felt guilty over not being able to tell Matt the truth. Bonnie almost felt guilty for the pain they were all in, but it was for the best. And if they were able to blindside Klaus, and save her and Elena in the process, the end would justify the means.

Bonnie was still surprised when one or both of the Salvatore would spend the night in the cabin. Sometimes they'd start out in one of the other guest rooms or in the living room on the couch, but eventually, whether it was one or both of them, they'd end up falling asleep together in The Green Room or in her bedroom. They never talked about it in the morning. Never made it weird but it was still weird.

She'd figured at the very least, Stefan would want to be near Elena. "She blames me," he said, on the second day, "For not being able to save you. I…things are different between us. She's distant. Scared. Grieving. And I can't tell her the truth so…"

"I'm sorry," Bonnie had said.

Stefan had shaken his head and squeezed her shoulder. "Don't be," he said, "She'll understand once we can tell her the truth. And in the meantime,...I don't regret what had to be done to keep you safe. And I don't regret getting to know you. I wish I had done it sooner. But we'll have time once we figure all of this out."

Bonnie wasn't so sure. Still, she liked being in the cabin, even in the strange company. It was better than being at home, even. Her father was rarely home and so when she was home, she spent most of her nights alone. It was why once she'd started dating Jeremy, she'd come to the Gilbert house more often than not.

The cabin was different though. It was cozy, warm, and had remnants of her family history. She was also never alone like she often was at home. She didn't have to eat meals alone. She didn't have to fight for her life alone.

She missed her friends. Missed Jeremy. But it was nice, being somewhere, away from the drama. The scenery around the cabin was beautiful and if they didn't find a solution and these would be her last days, she wasn't sure she'd regret spending them in a place that had such a long and deep connection to her family, her roots. Even if she was spending it with Stefan and Damon.

Now, Stefan walked fully into the Green Room and sat down on her other side. "You don't plan on doing what?" He asked Damon, eyeing his older brother.

"Trying Bonnie's Hallmark channel style coffee," Damon said, not looking up from the grimoire, "She drinks it like a ninety-year-old woman."

Bonnie laughed. "You're being an idiot," she said, "It's just a cinnamon stick." She turned to Stefan. "You'll try it, won't you?"

Stefan shrugged. "Sure."

Damon huffed. "Kiss ass," he said, but he was grinning as he glanced up at them finally.

Stefan ignored the insult as Bonnie held her cup up to him and positioned the cinnamon straw before his lips. He winked at Bonnie as he took a sip. "It's actually not that bad," he said, as he pulled back, "I like it."

Damon gave an exaggerated sigh. "Of course, you do," he said, "You always take her side."

"Which is why, I'm glad you're home." Bonnie said without thought. She regretted the words a moment later. Home. How pathetic was she that this place was feeling more like a home than her actual home to her, even with her staying with creatures, people, she'd once declared hatred for. "I mean…," she said, trying to think of a way to retract the statement.

Stefan spoke over her. "I'm glad I'm home too," he said. Bonnie thought at first that he was saying as much to make her feel better, but both his face and tone were so sincere, she knew that he was serious. "It's been…a long day."

Bonnie frowned, but it was Damon that spoke. "What's the word from the outside?"

"Same as always," Stefan sighed, "A lot of anger. A lot of fear. Both Jeremy and Elena were trying to get it out of me…where you'd buried Bonnie. They want to see her. Pay their respects." Stefan paused and Bonnie felt her own guilt at the lie rise. It must have shown on her face because he reached out of squeeze her shoulder a moment later before he continued. "I told them that I couldn't tell them anything. Then Caroline accused me and Damon of not being serious about protecting Elena because we keep disappearing. She thinks she lost one friend already, she doesn't want to lose Elena too. I told her we were looking for a way out or somewhere safe Elena could hide. But…they didn't buy it and Elena she…she got desperate. She resurrected Elijah."

Bonnie froze and she watched as Damon's whole body tensed. "Is she crazy?" Bonnie frowned, "I know she thought she could trust him before, but I don't buy it. We need to tell her I'm alive. If she's taking risks like this…"

Stefan shook his head. His hands moved from Bonnie's shoulder down her back. "It's fine."

"The hell it is," Damon said, and stood, "We just got rid of the guy and now-"

"And now we have information that we didn't have before," Stefan interrupted, "before you go off the rails and do something stupid…sit down and let me explain."

Damon looked like he would argue and so Bonnie tried her hand. As much animosity had been in between them before, now that they were being civil, he seemed to be more willing to listen to her. "Let's let him finish, Damon, _please_," she said.

He hesitated a moment and then sat back down on Bonnie's other side. "Fine." He frowned, turning back to Stefan. "Well?"

Stefan sighed, and told them everything that Elijah had revealed to Elena. About the Sun and Moon Curse being a fake curse orchestrated by Elijah and Klaus, to hide the true curse that kept Klaus from accessing his hybrid nature. He told them about the first attempt to break the curse with Katherine and the elixir that could possibly save Elena's life.

"So that's it? If we can't find a way for Bonnie to live if she goes after Klais, that's what you're going with? That's your plan to save, Elena? A magical witch potion with no expiration date?" Damon scowled.

Bonnie frowned. "I know to you it may sound unlikely, but there's a chance it could actually work," she said, "I mean, I've been using spells that are decades old, hundreds of years old. Spells created by witches long dead, but they work. The same way the spell that _you_ found, kept me alive the night of the dance. If spells don't have an expiration date, then why should this? I can always consult the spirits and check. I know we don't have much time but-"

"Wait," Stefan interrupted, "Why didn't we think of that before? We could ask them about not just the elixir…but how to save you?"

"They warned me about the consequences from the beginning," Bonnie said, "Once I harnessed the power, I assumed they took it as an answer that I was prepared to deal with those consequences."

"So, they'd let the last of their line die," Damon scowled, "Give you what you need to save Elena and kill Klaus, but not what you'd need to save yourself. That makes no sense. What would be the point of Emily asking me to protect her line if it was supposed to end with you? Especially, with what you're doing, targeting Klaus, who's apparently trying to unleash his dormant hybrid nature. Ending him is basically essential to keeping the precious balance they love so much. And they expect you to what? Die for the sake of it. No loophole, no gratitude, just death. No. Hell no, they wouldn't just let you die. You're their blood. If anything, they owe you for putting yourself at risk to take down Klaus in the first place. And if they would abandon you even after all of that, then screw them. Ask Emily _directly_, or ask Sheila. Someone on the other side has to be willing to help you. Someone on the other side has to give enough of a damn about you to try."

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I agree with Damon." Stefan took the mug from Bonnie's hand, moved one of the blankets aside, and set it down on the hardwood floor beneath them. "There's got to be something that can be done. And a better way to find it than sifting aimlessly through grimoires. Can we contact the spirits on the other side from here? Contact Emily or Sheila, I mean?" Stefan asked, his eyes so hopeful that Bonnie began to hope too.

"We could try a séance," she said, thinking of the night Emily had possessed her and shivering at the thought, "but it might be better to just go to where the witches were burned. But we'd have to be careful. It's close to town and if Klaus is still watching…"

"You don't need to worry about that," Damon said, "You have your power. And you have us."

Stefan nodded. "He's right. Whatever happens, we'll keep you safe."

Bonnie looked between them and she realized in that moment, that without noticing when or how it had happened, she'd come to start to trust them both. They promised to keep her safe and she believed them.

**:::**

Bonnie felt apprehensive as she entered the house where her ancestors had been slaughtered, burned for nothing more than being who they were. It was the first time she'd entered since channeling their power and this time felt different, starting with the fact that they allowed Damon to enter this time. Or rather, Emily had.

No sooner did they enter the house, Stefan on one side of Bonnie and Damon on the other, did Emily appear. This time she wasn't using Bonnie as a vessel. She appeared before them, an apparition, but she looked different, younger. Her hair was half up and half down instead of hiding underneath a bonnet or pulled back completely. The top half was held up with a comb similar to the dragonfly one that Bonnie had taken to wearing in her own hair. In fact, her hair was in a similar style to Emily's at the moment and the green lace dress that she wore, was something Bonnie could imagine Emily wearing, were she of their time. Instead Emily wore a plain white lace dress with a high collar. She smiled at Bonnie, not in the cunning way she had in her nightmares once, but soft and full of pride. She was beautiful, strikingly so.

"Are you going to stare or are you going to ask me for the answers that you seek?" Emily said, her tone almost playful.

Bonnie glanced from Stefan to Damon and noted that their expressions were soft and open as they looked at Emily, but they both took a sort of a protective stance in front of Bonnie. Bonnie didn't believe Emily would hurt her, but there was a weighted history there and she'd already been possessed by her once, Bonnie didn't want a repeat performance.

"So, there is an answer," Stefan said, "There's a way to save Bonnie. Keep her from dying if she takes Klaus down."

Emily nodded. "There is," she said, "There always was."

"Then why didn't you tell Bonnie the moment that she channeled all of that power?" Damon spat, "You _knew_. All of you, knew, what she was up against and you still let her walk to her own death."

Emily took a step forward. "And you still presume to know all, Damon," she grinned, "How do you think you found the spell that saved her the night of the dance. It came to you easily did it not? The first place you looked? We're on her side and always have been. We didn't give her the solution right away, because we had to be sure. If we told her and we weren't sure, it wouldn't have gotten done. All she would have had then was false hope."

"Sure, of what?" Bonnie asked.

"Sure, that...Stefan and Damon would do _anything_ to keep you alive, to keep you safe," Emily said, "Not just for their own means but _for you_. If they had any other motives, we knew they'd only do what it would take to keep you alive up until the moment you had to die killing Klaus. This was bigger than that, to survive using that much power, the cost is a large one. We couldn't trust that they would be willing to pay it. Not until now."

"You're right, you can trust us," Stefan said firmly, "We'll do whatever it takes."

Bonnie watched as Emily walked over to him and placed her hands on either side of his face. As Bonnie looked between the two, she felt an uneasy tension in the pit of her stomach. _Jealousy_, her mind supplied, but it couldn't have been that.

"Even in death, your heart is pure, Stefan," Emily whispered, and then looked toward Bonnie, "Pure enough to do what it takes to make sure hers keeps beating."

Bonnie was surprised when Stefan reached out and took her hand in his. Bonnie looked down at their joined hands as Stefan threaded their fingers together.

"It's my curse," he said, looking back at Emily.

Emily had told him that herself once, Stefan had told Bonnie as much. But as Emily looked at Stefan knowingly, Bonnie felt like she was talking of something else, something that ran deeper than Stefan's supposed pure heart.

"Emily," Damon said, his eyes on Emily as she withdrew her hands from Stefan's face and took a step away from him, "Just tell us what we need to know."

"Still so bitter," Emily laughed as she walked over him. She stopped and pressed her hands to his chest. Her face became serious. "Still so guilty." Damon looked away from her and she grabbed his chin, turning his face towards her. "I need you to listen. You needn't hold on to your guilt, Damon, as least where I'm concerned. There was a reason that I asked _you _to protect my line. _I_ was never the one you were meant to save. Do you understand?"

"I do." Damon reached out and took Bonnie's other hand. "So, tell us what we need to do," he repeated.

Emily walked back to Bonnie. "You have power. Our power. Your power," Emily said, "It's the body that is weak. The only way to remedy that is to bind yourself to something that has a body that's much stronger."

Bonnie thought about what Luka had told her about not just channeling power but about drawing and filtering energy from the earth, from nature, from those around her. "Like another witch."

Emily shook her head. "Something a little less human," she said pointedly.

Bonnie looked from Stefan and Damon as the realization hit. "But they're vampires," she said, "How would that even be possible?"

"Blood magic," Emily said, "A blood ritual. It's strong and dangerous. But it'd do what needed to be done. It will allow you to do what needs to be done. However, I will warn you, that a bond like that has-"

"Consequences," Bonnie sighed, getting tired of hearing the word in terms of her magic.

"Yes," Emily said, "It wouldn't just bind you in body. It'd bind you in mind, in blood and soul. Your life forces would be tied together. That type of closeness is nearly impossible to break and if it is broken, it's traumatic and can cause madness or death."

"So, it's permanent," Bonnie frowned. They had barely begun to be tentative friends with one another, how the hell would they cope with that kind of bond between them?

"But it would keep Bonnie alive," Stefan said, "And she'll still be able to take down Klaus."

Emily nodded. She looked calm and assured as if she already knew their answer. Perhaps she did.

"Then we'll do it," Damon said, "screw the consequences and screw the risks."

Bonnie shook her head. "No," Bonnie said, "No, I won't let you do it. It's not worth it. You'll be irrevocably tied to me for, however, long I'm alive. That's...what would Elena say, and Jeremy."

"Who gives a shit?" Damon said, "You'd be alive. I'd hope they'd say thank you, Damon and Stefan for not letting Bonnie die."

Bonnie sighed. He didn't understand what they were signing up for. "I've read about bonds like this," Bonnie said, "It's serious stuff. It's not something we'll just be able to brush off once Klaus is dead. In the aftermath we'll still be connected and who knows what that could lead to, what that could change. How it could affect us."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Stefan said, "We don't have any more time. We have to do this."

"_Stefan_-" Bonnie opened her mouth to protest. They could find another way. This was too much. This wasn't an option.

"If the situations were reversed," Damon said, "And this was what needed to be done to save Elena, and not you. Would you do it?"

Bonnie stared. Remembering when she had asked Elena the same question in a different way. She couldn't say no. She was already willing to die, _had died _for her friend. If this had been what was needed to take Klaus down instead of channeling the power or even in addition to it, she'd do it in a heartbeat. They all knew, even as she stayed as grave and silent as Elena had, hoping a none answer would stop the inevitable, she knew they knew.

"Then you see why we have to," Stefan said.

Bonnie looked in between them and they both squeezed her hands reassuringly. She swallowed. Even if they did this, they could find a way to break it later. She knew more than anyone that there was always a loophole when it came to magic. Always a counter spell or an antidote or some kind of reversal. Emily said differently, but it wouldn't be the first time she'd been misled by someone on the other side.

It would just last until they got rid of Klaus and then they'd be free, Elena would be alive, and Bonnie could live her life too. Bonnie nodded to herself, her face becoming determined. "Alright," she said, "Let's do it. But we need to tell the others before we do."

Stefan nodded. "Alright, we'll be honest. I agree that we should be. They'll find out in any case. As long as you know that however they react, it won't change anything. We're doing this, whatever it takes."


	2. part two: letting go

**title:** interwoven

**rating: **m

**genre:** au/canon

**pairing:** bonnie/stefan, bonnie/damon, stefan/bonnie/damon, bonnie/klaus (one-sided), stefan/klaus (one-sided), stefan/bonnie/klaus (very minor), matt/caroline, caroline/tyler, matt/caroline/tyler, brief bonnie/jeremy, brief stefan/elena, brief damon/elena (mostly one-sided), etc.

**summary:** in order to fake her death bonnie must go into hiding with only the salvatore brothers for company. in her isolation she grows closer to both stefan and damon, and learns more about her family history. with the sacrifice looming, stefan and damon search for a way for bonnie to face off with klaus that won't end in her death from overuse of power. they find a spell that allows bonnie to channel her powers through them, but a bond of the blood must be formed. a bond that forces both brothers to confront their budding feelings for bonnie._ au from 2x18 "the last dance"_

**warnings:** sexual content, pre-polyamory, polyamory, multiple polyamorous pairings, language, violence, slightly dub-con, character death, out of character behaviors, ect.

_**Author's Note: Alright, folks here I am back from another hiatus. Times are chaotic at the moment but I am hoping positing updates can proved you with some escape and enjoyment! There is so much going on in the world right now so remember to take care of yourselves! Stay safe and well! Happy Reading!**_

**part two || letting go**

"_I demolish my bridges behind me..._

_Then there is no choice but to move forward.__" _

― _**Fridtjof Nansen**_

_**Mystic Falls, Virginia**_

The Salvatore brothers had left Bonnie alone with Emily and the Spirits after she'd agreed to the blood bond. Bonnie stood in the decrepit house and smiled sadly as Emily reached out and took both of Bonnie's hands in her own.

"History is important," Emily said, "We learn from it. Are richer for it. But this history," Emily looked around at the charred remains of the house, her eyes brimming with tears, "This pain, this death, this destruction, doesn't bear repeating. This was never meant to be your path. You're destined for much more than becoming ashes. We are proud of you. All of those before you. We're proud of you now and we are proud of the woman you'll become. No matter what happens in the future, know that much to be true."

Bonnie swallowed, tears falling from her eyes. "Thank you," she said.

When Emily pulled her into an embrace, Bonnie went willingly. She felt as Emily wrapped her arms around her, that she was being held, not just by Emily but by her Grams, by all the witches that had come before her. It was the opposite of the pain she had felt, the echo of their deaths that had come when she had channeled their powers. It was warmth. It was protection. It was love.

Emily squeezed her tightly and whispered, "This isn't goodbye, Bonnie. We're always here. Always watching. Always protecting our own."

Bonnie nodded. For the first time since her Grams died, she felt as if those words that Sheila Bennett uttered while she was alive, and breathing were true.

Before Bonnie could respond verbally, Emily vanished. She slipped through Bonnie's fingers, turning into ash and evaporating into the air.

Bonnie wiped at her eyes and smiled. "Thank you," she repeated, this time not just speaking to Emily, "All of you, for making sure I don't have to face this alone."

Bonnie turned to leave. She walked over the worn floorboards and made her way through the house and outside.

When Bonnie left the house and closed the door behind her, she found Stefan sitting on the porch steps. "Where's Damon?" Bonnie asked, looking around.

Stefan stood and turned to her. "In the car, checking in with Elena," he said, "We'll have to tell them the truth, now that we've found a way to save you both, so we're trying to see where her head is at." He studied her face and Bonnie knew as he frowned, that he noticed the tears. "You okay?"

Bonnie nodded. "Just saying goodbye," Bonnie said, gesturing her head back towards the house.

Stefan shook his head. "I mean," he sighed, "About, all of this. I know...things have been hard for you since we got here. Even before this. I hoped, knowing what you were and the ties we had to your family, things would be easier with you. But then, everything went pear-shaped from the beginning. And now, they're good. Easy. Like I thought they'd be. With you, with me, and hell, even with Damon. We're closer now. We're friends, right?"

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah," she smiled, "We're friends."

"But now, with this bond," he said, "I feel like we'll just be disrupting your life all over again, even if it is going to save it."

Bonnie sighed. "I'm more worried about disrupting your life," she said, "And hurting Elena."

Stefan shook his head. "Of course, you are," he said, "Listen, I wish there was another way, for your sake. You shouldn't have to be tied to us to be able to live your life. But...I don't regret agreeing to this. I won't regret agreeing to this. Whatever happens, I...I want you to be able to live your life. Sheila told me, the night I came to get you from Fell's Church, she said she trusted me to keep you safe. I was surprised then, and I wanted to honor that trust. I wanted to be worthy of it. I still want to be worthy of it now. And maybe the selfish part of me doesn't want to have to feel that guilt, that grief I felt when your heart stopped beating ever again. But the biggest and probably most selfish part of me, doesn't want to lose another friend. I don't want to lose someone else that I care about. I don't want to lose _you_. So, whatever I need to do, to keep that from happening I'm okay with that. It doesn't matter how it affects me, as long as you and Elena are alive and safe."

Bonnie laughed. "Always the martyr," she said.

"You're one to talk," Stefan grinned.

When Stefan opened his arms, Bonnie walked into them easily. She wrapped her arms around his middle and said, "I trust you to keep me safe, too."

"I'm going to do the best I can to make sure you don't ever feel that trust has been misplaced," Stefan swallowed, "People like me and you, it's hard for us to trust. To let go. So, we, shoulder our burdens because we don't know if can trust anyone enough to help carry it, to protect the people we care about. Because we feel like we can't trust anyone else to do what needs to be done. It's self-destructive, even if it does get the job done. I know, for you depending on people isn't easy. To lean on someone and share the weight of it all. But you're doing that right now, with this bond. You're trusting me, and Damon, not just with your life but with helping you keep Elena and everyone else safe and alive too. I want to come through for you because I know if I do, you'll trust me enough to lean on me again. And you can, Bonnie. You can share the weight. I did need you to know that because I don't ever want you to go back to the place where you took it all on yourself. That place that ended with your heart stopping. I said all that to say, whatever happens, as long as I'm here, you're not alone."

Bonnie looked up at him and Stefan's wiped at the tears trailing down her cheeks. "When you say stuff like that sometimes I think that friend isn't enough of a word for what we are," Bonnie whispered, "With what you're willing to do for me, sometimes it's hard to think of any words to describe how much it means."

Stefan kissed the top of her head and Bonnie felt warmth and safety that was different from the feelings she had felt from her ancestors but just as welcome and felt just as important. "Maybe there isn't a word for it. Maybe there doesn't need to be. Just know that you're safe with me, and you'll always be safe with me."

Bonnie smiled and nodded. Whatever happened, she believed him.

**:::**

Elena Gilbert looked at the pictures she had collected over the years of herself, Caroline, and Bonnie. So many memories. Some in which they were so young that she couldn't remember the particulars. They were smiling in all of them, happy. And now, now Elena felt numb, broken as if something essential had been ripped away from her.

When she'd lost her parents, it had been Bonnie that brought her back from the brink. Bonnie that had stayed the night or stayed up late on the phone to talk her through her grief. Bonnie that had brought over the work she'd missed on the days she couldn't bring herself to go to school. Bonnie and Miss Sheila that had cooked meals and helped Jenna organize the funeral. Bonnie was always the one that helped her rebuild and piece herself back together. She was always there. Now that she was gone, Elena didn't know what to do with herself.

Caroline sat beside her on the bed in the guest room that she was inhabiting in the Salvatore boardinghouse. At first Elena had slept in Stefan's room, but he was gone more nights than not, and the longer she stayed at the boardinghouse, the hollower she felt. She couldn't even go home and mourn her friend without putting herself at risk.

"I just keep thinking," Elena frowned, "There were so many times she was there for me and I can't think of any when I was there for her in the same way. I just took her for granted. There's nothing I can do about it now."

When Miss Sheila had passed, she'd let Bonnie push her away instead of helping her friend through her grief. When Damon had attacked Bonnie, Elena had used it as an opportunity to dump the weight of all the secrets she had been carrying about the supernatural and Vicki's death, on Bonnie and sought comfort from her friend when she should have been giving it. She'd known the lengths that Bonnie had been willing to go to save her, and even in her last moments, Elena had failed her.

"I just took and took from her and I never even realized...," Elena sighed, "I was a terrible friend."

"Yeah you were," Caroline responded, and then, "But I wasn't much better. Shallow, self-absorbed and never listened to her when she needed it. I vented to her all the time, but she tried to tell me about being a witch I didn't listen. I didn't thank her when she made my daylight walking ring. I...didn't try to understand when she was afraid of me after I was turned. I didn't try to see things from her perspective. I just expected her to be there for me because I needed her and that's what she always did. I resented her for not being there but...who the hell am I to do that? To not give her time to adjust. To not give her what she needed but expect her to do that for me. We both failed her, Elena. I just wish we could bring her back, or at least say goodbye."

Elena stood. "Then we will," she said, "If Stefan still won't tell us where they took her, then we'll force his hand. The next time he or Damon calls or comes over, we'll confront them. I'm tired of waiting around. At the very least she deserves the respect of a proper burial. If Stefan refuses to tell us where her body is, then we'll follow him the next time he leaves."

Her rant was interrupted as a familiar voice sounded from the doorway. "You don't have to do all that." Stefan was there, leaning against the doorframe. "I'll take you to Bonnie."

Where there had once been so much love when she looked at him, Elena felt only grief and loss. He was just a reminder of the night that neither one of them could save Bonnie. They didn't talk anymore, and she was beginning to understand, John's fears and Isobel's fears about the danger of being involved with vampires. But with Klaus still after her, she felt trapped.

The pictures of the past had shown her not just the value of Bonnie's friendship but that there had been value in having a normal life. Without the supernatural. Without the death and the darkness that had followed her around since Stefan and Damon's arrival. It was too bad it seemed to be too late to salvage either.

**:::**

_**Shenandoah Valley, Virginia **_

Damon Salvatore watched from the doorway of the sitting room as Bonnie sat at the grand piano and fiddled with the keys. The instrument was an old one that he'd only recently discovered that Stefan had moved into the cabin for Sheila Bennett during one of the stints she had spent in Emily's cabin as a young woman.

Bonnie played the first few notes of a song Damon partially recognized. Duke Ellington, he thought it was. Her eyes were focused on the sheet music and so he didn't mind staring unabashedly. She looked lovely in the low light of the antique lamp. He'd never described anyone as lovely before, but there was no other word to describe the vision that she made.

The skirt of the pale green dress she wore reached the floor, the skirt itself layered and tiered. The lace detailing reminded him of another time, another era and another Bennett woman that he had found beautiful to the point of distraction.

The top of her hair was pulled up with the dragonfly comb she had taken to wearing and the rest tumbled down her shoulders in the back. He'd felt its softness on his fingers more than once, during the times she had fallen asleep next to him. Had smelled the floral of her scent. _There were worse fates_, he thought,_ than being tied irrevocably to Bonnie Bennett._

He might see things differently once they did the spell. They'd researched the blood bond after leaving Emily. It was serious shit.

He was surprised that he didn't feel more unease in that moment. He might've, a few days ago. But things had changed. Where she had once been hard and closed off, she was now soft and open. Where he had once only known her on a surface level, he now knew her on a deeper level. That was how he knew that she'd need reassurance. That where she had once been worried about dying, she was now worried about being tied to him and his brother for the rest of the life she had left.

He wasn't worried however, if they were still combative and antagonizing each other, it might've been a prison. But now, it felt more like some form of atonement for the sins he had committed where she and her family were concerned.

He moved forward and she paused in her playing as he approached. There was another difference that he preferred, as he grew close. When she looked over at him, she smiled.

"Hey," she said, "Can you come and turn the pages for me?"

He knew it was likely a pretense so that they could talk. He wasn't usually one to talk things out, but given what they were about to embark on, there really wasn't much of a choice

"I can't read sheet music." Damon sat down next to her just the same.

"Just turn the page when I nod," she said. Her hands began to fly over the keys more confidently as he settled down next to her.

At her nod, he flipped the page on the music stand. "I didn't know you could play so well," he said.

"My Grams taught me," she whispered, "I guess...we'll have time to learn a lot about each other now."

"I guess so," he said. His hand moved to touch her shoulder and she stopped playing. "Are you_ that_ upset about this whole bond thing?"

Bonnie frowned, flexing her fingers. "I am. Just...not for the reasons you'd probably think I'd be. I feel like I'm taking your life away, Stefan's life too, to save mine. "

"We don't see it that way," he said, "And even if we did. You begged Sheila to save Stefan the night she gave her life to get him out of that tomb. Then after that, even when you hated us both, you held back flames so Stefan could save me. There's been plenty of times, you've spared us or saved us or Elena, or your friends, and the town. We both owe you our lives at this point. It's an even trade."

"What are you going to tell Andie?" Bonnie asked, half-joking.

He hadn't really thought about the woman lately. In any case, she was better off without him. "I've spent most of our relationship compelling her. I'll compel her to forget me. Easy fix."

Bonnie frowned as if she wanted to comment but she didn't. Bonnie's face became serious. "What are we going to tell Elena?"

Damon stroked her shoulder with the back of his thumb where his hand still gripped it, hoping the gesture would soothe some of the anxiety he could see building. It was weird. He was actually comforting Bonnie Bennett.

With the distance that had been between them all and Elena as of late, Damon hadn't thought about her all that much. Now that they would have to face her, he felt like his desire for her, to be near her and get her approval, had lessened somewhat. He could admit to himself that a part of the appeal had been her resemblance to Katherine. She was like a do-over, Katherine's face without her attitude and disregard for his feelings. They weren't the same person, but he pursued them for many of the same reasons including their love for Stefan over him. It wasn't healthy, wasn't practical. He hadn't gotten what he wanted from either. Still, he supposed it didn't matter much now that he and Stefan would be irrevocably tied to someone else. Always cursed to be bound to the same women. He just hoped this time didn't yield the same results.

"We'll tell her the truth. That Stefan and I are willing to do whatever it takes to save her best friend. The same way, her best friend was willing to do whatever it took to save her. She's owes you her life too. So... you'll be blood bound to her boyfriend for the next fifty or sixty years." Damon shrugged. "Even trade."

Bonnie laughed and shook her head. "I don't know if_ she'll_ see it that way but...thank you for trying to make me feel better. Which...is weirdly out of character for you, but also surprisingly not that surprising considering what we've been through the last few days."

"It's called growth." Damon smirked. "I'm _growing_."

"I wouldn't go _that _far." She grinned. Bonnie turned her body towards him completely, the movement causing their knees to touch. "Still," she said, "I know this isn't what either of you would want under normal circumstances. When all of this Klaus stuff is over, I'll figure out a way to get us out of it. I won't stop until I d-"

Without thinking Damon placed his index finger over her lips. "You don't have to always be the one that saves everyone. Let us do this for you. We'll worry about the rest later. Okay?"

He watched her throat work as she swallowed. Let his hand fall. There was a tense moment that followed as they stared at each other. He couldn't place the tension, where it was coming from. Another one of those moments where he didn't know what he wanted from a Bennett woman, and wasn't sure what she wanted from him.

"Okay," Bonnie acquiesced. She smoothed her hands down the front of her dress, stood and walked around the piano bench. "I'm going to go change," she said, "Can I borrow one of your shirts?"

Damon cleared his throat and took a breath to ease the tension before he spoke. "Since when do you ask first?"

"Well we're going to be stuck together for the next few decades more than likely," she said, "So, I figured I could at least _pretend_ to be courteous for the sake of us getting along. It's called growth. I'm _growing_."

Damon laughed. "Go ahead." He said. She began to walk away, and he caught her arm by the wrist. "Wait." She turned to look at him. "You're so worried about how me and Stefan are feeling about getting stuck with you," he said, "But you're getting stuck _with us_, which is arguably, _way_ worse."

"True." Bonnie conceded with a nod, her eyes glittering with humor.

"Listen," Damon murmured, "I've hurt you, a lot over the past year or so. I've done a lot of damage in general, really. But you've been through a lot. You've lost a lot. Because of me. Since we're going to be tied together now, I want you to know that...even without the bond, I don't want to hurt you and I'm sorry I ever did. The apology is a bit late and I'm sure there are about a billion people you'd rather be entering into this whole blood bond thing with-"

This time Bonnie placed her finger over his lips. "Not exactly." She said. He waited for her expand upon the thought, but she didn't. Instead she leaned down and into him, her scent enveloping him; lavender, wisteria, and a bit of honey, as she kissed his cheek. She smiled as she pulled away. "The apology is a welcome surprise, though. And since I am choosing to believe you're being sincere, I think I can find it in my cold judgy heart to forgive you."

"You're like the least cold-hearted person I know," he said, and then, "You'd forgive me just like that."

"If you're apologizing, it means you feel remorse," Bonnie said, "It means there's hope for you." Bonnie reached out and touched his face. "Everything you've been doing for me recently just reinforces that. So yeah, I can forgive you. Just don't make me regret it, okay?"

Damon nodded. "Okay," he said. He held tighter to her wrist when she moved to walk away again. He pulled her back into him slightly. "Thank you, Bonnie," he said.

Another nod and a smile. "Don't go getting all soft on me, Damon."

He let her wrist go. Laughed. "Wouldn't dream of it. Otherwise you might start to think that I actually. have a heart."

Bonnie scoffed, shaking her head. "Let's not ahead of ourselves. I may have forgiven you, _for now_, but that doesn't mean I've lost enough major brain functioning to believe you capable of human emotion. Though, I could see how'd it'd be easy to link those two things together."

"Can't promise human emotion, but I'll try not to be such a pain in the ass." He called after her.

Her laughter floated behind her as she called back to him over her shoulder. "I'll believe it when I see it."

_Yeah_, he thought as he watched her leave the room, _there are, definitely, worse fates. _

**:::**

The tension that Stefan Salvatore felt upon returning to Mystic Falls and on the car ride back to Shenandoah Valley dissipated as he pulled up in front of Emily's cabin. His body relaxed as he cut off the car. He felt like he had come home.

He hadn't been able to explain the situation fully on the drive over, as no one had felt much like talking to or listening to him. Given what they'd thought was going on the last few days, he understood. But because of their unwillingness to listen, the others were still under the impression that they had come to see Bonnie's dead body.

Stefan turned off the engine to his car and moved to get out. He glanced at Elena in the passenger's seat, looked in the rearview mirror at Caroline and Jeremy in the back. No one moved. "Are you guys coming in?" He asked.

"Just, give us a minute," Elena said, her tone the heavy one she had taken on as of late. Her expression shadowed and fully of grief.

Stefan sighed. "It isn't what you think, Elena." His guilt at her grief still weighed on him and he wanted to relieve it. To free her of her own guilt, but as easy as things had become between he and Bonnie, since faking her death, they had gotten that much harder with Elena.

He watched as her hands clenched into fists. "Give us a minute." She repeated.

Stefan nodded curtly and got out of the car, shutting the door behind him. It had never been this hard between them to communicate, even when things were bad. He had hoped that once she found out Bonnie was still alive, that things could go back to how they had been. Now, he wasn't so sure. Even if she forgave him for lying about Bonnie's death, the blood bond would now be hanging over their head and he wasn't sure Elena could get past it, even if it was all for the sake of keeping Bonnie alive.

He walked toward the cabin, took the front steps two at a time. His body relaxed further as he opened the door to the sound of music, to the sound of Bonnie's heartbeat. He smiled as he heard Bonnie's voice. "Why exactly do you need to be drunk to listen to Coldplay?" She asked, the question clearly directed at Damon.

Stefan laughed as Damon made a scoffing sound in response. "Because it's _Coldplay_. Now pass me the oregano."

He followed the sound of their voices until he reached the kitchen. He should've been used to the scene by now as many times as he had walked in on it the last few days. But it was still oddly domestic. His brother cooking with a kitchen towel thrown over one shoulder and Bonnie doing prep work in a pair of his sweatpants and Damon's shirt. Her hair pulled back and sleeves rolled up.

"What's wrong with Coldplay?" Stefan asked, as he entered the kitchen. "I happen to like them. Bonnie has great taste in music."

Damon looked at him and rolled his eyes. "Always such a kiss ass."

But Stefan ignored Damon as his brother took a swig from a bottle of bourbon sitting on the countertop, because Bonnie was rounding the kitchen island and walking towards him. "You're home."

He felt so calm at the sound of the steady thrum of her heartbeat. "I'm home." He nodded.

"What's with that face?" Bonnie frowned, "Did you bring everyone?"

"Yeah," Stefan said, "I didn't get the chance to tell them everything, though. They're all scared and still giving me the silent treatment. They think they're coming to bury you. Say their last goodbyes."

Bonnie's frown deepened. "I'm sorry."

Stefan took her hands in his. "You don't have anything to apologize for. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Neither did you," Bonnie said, squeezing his hands, "You kept me safe. Just like you promised." She looked at Damon over her shoulder. "_Both_ of you."

Stefan pulled Bonnie into a hug without much thought. It was nice. She was warm. Smelled sweet and floral. He had gotten so used to the scent; it was hard for him to fall asleep anymore without it. They had all been sleeping piled together too long. With Elena back in the picture, he'd have to give it up, even with the bond. It wouldn't be easy to do so either way. He closed his eyes, trying not to dwell on the thought.

"It'll be fine once they see me. Once they know I'm alive it'll work out from there," Bonnie said, "You'll see."

Stefan opened his eyes, glanced at his brother over Bonnie's shoulder. He saw something familiar in Damon's gaze as his brother looked at them. Something akin to jealousy. He frowned. He wanted to believe Bonnie's words, but he wasn't so sure.

Bonnie pulled back and the concern must have shown on his face because she reached up and smoothed her finger over where his brows had knitted together. "No brooding. We're going to have to deal with enough angst later once we tell them about having to do the bond."

Stefan nodded. "Alright. No brooding." He agreed. He smiled as he took in her attire again. "You look comfy."

Bonnie laughed. "Yeah, well. I guess I wanted to relax a bit before the shit hits the fan, you know?"

Stefan's grin at her words, slipped slightly as Damon walked forward and came to stand behind Bonnie. "Your hair is coming down," Damon said to her, but his eyes were on Stefan, assessing. "I'll fix it."

Stefan knew even before Damon took Emily's comb from Bonnie's hair that his brother was trying to get some sort of reaction from him. He just wasn't sure what his motive was, but something was there.

Damon held the comb out to him, and frowning Stefan reached over Bonnie and took it. His frown deepened as Damon carded his fingers through Bonnie's hair.

"What are you a hairdresser now?" Bonnie huffed. Still her eyes closed at Damon's touch.

Stefan cleared his throat. Her eyes opened and refocused on him. He met her gaze and she looked in part amused and in part unsettled. Nervous. About what, he wasn't sure.

Damon leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I've been around a lot of women. I know what I'm doing."

Damon began to gather Bonnie's hair up and Stefan watched as her eyes fluttered shut again. Stefan couldn't help but reach out and touch her face, his fingers tracing the line of her jaw gently. Her heard her pulse quicken and he wondered whose touch was causing the effect, his or Damon's.

"Stefan," Damon said, and Stefan realized he was reaching his hand out for the comb.

Ignoring him, Stefan reached around Bonnie put the comb in her hair himself where Damon was holding her hair in place. He let his hand fall, trail down Bonnie's neck. "There," he whispered, "Perfect."

Her heart rate had spiked again as her eyes opened. "Thank you." Her voice was a bit breathless.

He watched as Damon grabbed her by the hips and tugged Bonnie backwards into his chest. Wrapped his arms around her from behind. "You're welcome," he leaned down to whisper into her ear.

"_Damon_," Stefan said, his brother's name came out like a warning. But Stefan didn't stop to dissect what the warning meant.

"Hey," Bonnie said, reaching out and taking Stefan's hand, "It's fine. Don't tell me you two are going to start fighting over me, now? I'm not Elena." Her tone was joking but Stefan saw something in Damon's eyes he didn't like at her words.

"No," Damon said, "You're _not_." Stefan noted as his brother's fingers flexed at Bonnie's hips, his grip tightening. "Not necessarily a bad thing."

Bonnie swallowed. Placed the hand that wasn't holding Stefan's over where Damon's hands were clasped together at her middle to halt his movements, but she didn't push his hand away. She glanced at Damon over her shoulder. "Are you done with whatever this is?"

Damon smirked. "Not by a long shot." He said.

Stefan stepped forward. Invaded her space as he glared at Damon. "That's enough."

"Stefan," Bonnie said, her hand moving from Damon's to run down Stefan's chest, likely trying to ease some of the tension in his frame. But it was having another effect altogether. "He's just teasing me. Looking to get a reaction." She was right about Damon wanting a reaction, not just from Stefan it would seem. The teasing was debatable. "The day Damon actually shows me genuine affection is the day my tongue turns green and I sprout wings."

She was wrong. But it wouldn't help anything to start a fight with his brother over it. He wasn't even sure if that was what he wanted to do. He wasn't sure _what_ he wanted to do. He decided he would try to downplay whatever reaction he was having for Bonnie's sake.

He reached out and touched her face again. She bit her lip and it drew his attention to her mouth. "Stick out your tongue," he said. He'd meant to say it as a joke, because of what she'd said. Was going to make a show of checking if it had turned green. But it came out sounding like something else altogether. His voice too deep, too sultry to sound like anything but innuendo.

Damon raised an eyebrow at him over Bonnie's shoulder. His eyes glittered with amusement.

"Um...," Bonnie trailed. She looked at him with a kind of awareness that had been missing in their interactions before. Or maybe it hadn't. Maybe there had just been an underlying tendril of something just under the surface that Stefan was just starting to notice. Bonnie licked her lips.

"I didn't mean for that to sound..." Stefan started.

Before Stefan could say anything more, he heard the front door open and close. Heard footsteps moving through the cabin. Elena's voice exclaimed, "Oh my God, Bonnie!", a moment later.

They all jumped apart at the same time. Stefan felt uneasy. But it wasn't like they were guilty of anything. At least that was what he told himself. The look that Damon was giving him as his brother walked back into the kitchen told him something different, however.

Then Elena was running toward them, pulling Bonnie into a tearful embrace. He smiled as Caroline joined them a moment later. As the three friends embraced and reunited, crying happy tears for once, he thought, that maybe Bonnie had been right, and everything would be fine now that they knew.

"I'm sorry," Bonnie said, "I wanted to tell you both, but we couldn't risk it with Klaus watching. We didn't want to say anything until we could figure out a way to keep both me and Elena alive."

Elena shook her head, wiping at the tears on Bonnie's face. "It's okay," she said, "I'm just glad you're, okay. You're_ alive_."

"She's right. Don't apologize," Caroline added, "We understand." The blonde clung to Bonnie. "You have no idea how much we missed you. _No idea_."

The smile left Stefan's face as Jeremy approached and the girls made way for him. Stefan felt the tension he had just escaped return as Jeremy embraced Bonnie and kissed her firmly on the lips. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again." He whispered, and Stefan felt his own hands clench into fists.

A hand on his shoulder got Stefan's attention and he realized Damon had returned from the kitchen. He was standing next to him watching the scene as well. "You look like you need a drink, little brother." He said, passing Stefan the bottle of bourbon he had been drinking from.

Stefan took long draw from the bottle, even as Elena turned and smiled at him for the first time in days. They had created their own little world he realized. Him, Bonnie, and Damon. And now the outside was coming in. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Elena walked over to them and she was beaming with relief and her eyes were full of understanding. "Whatever you both did to help her stay alive," she said, "Thank you. You saved my best friend. I could never repay you for that."

Damon nodded and took the bottle from Stefan's hands. "We didn't do it for you," he said, "We did it for Bonnie." Stefan looked over at Bonnie over Elena's shoulder and the witch smiled. "But you're welcome," Damon continued.

"Whatever the reason, she's alive," Elena nodded, "And I'm grateful." She walked up to Stefan and took his hands. "I know I've been distant. I haven't been willing to talk. But I'm ready to listen now."

Stefan knew he should have been relieved, but he just felt tense and uneasy as Elena smiled up at him. There was still more to tell, and Damon had just opened a can of worms with his actions right before the others had entered, that would make revealing the need for the blood bond even harder.

Still, Stefan allowed Elena to lead him through the cabin and onto the front porch so they could talk alone. He glanced back at Bonnie as they went and felt his uneasiness mirrored in her expression even as Jeremy wrapped his arms around her.

As soon as the front door closed behind him and Elena, she pulled him down for a kiss. It didn't feel the same as their lips met. When she pulled away, she didn't seem to notice the tension still in his frame. "I'm sorry," she said, as she leaned back, "I've been a mess and blaming you and taking all of this out on you. I just...I thought I lost Bonnie and she's my sister, you know. I just...I doubted everything. I doubted all of my choices. I doubted us. But now I have another chance to be a better friend to her and we both have a chance to live our lives. Bonnie. Me. That's all because of you and Damon."

Stefan sighed. "You don't need to apologize," he said, "Your feelings were valid given what you thought. I wish I could say I was sorry for lying to you, but Bonnie's life was at stake. It's been hard, for us. I get why you'd have your doubts, and I don't expect you to have blind faith in me. Especially right now, when we're all scared and uncertain about the future. With Klaus looming over our heads. Bonnie thought, once you knew she was alive, things would go back to the way they were between us. Now, I'm not so sure."

Elena frowned. "What do you mean?"

"There's still a lot we have to talk about," Stefan frowned, "There's so much I still have to tell you. And Bonnie...she's been so strong through all of this and I don't want us saving her life, or your life, to be for naught if the two of you lose each other anyway. I need you to promise me that no matter what happens, you'll be there for her. I already know she'll be there for you, but I need you to promise that no matter what when all is said and done, she'll still be your sister."

Elena nodded. "Of course, she will Stefan," she said, "She's my best friend. I love her. My life wouldn't be the same without, Bonnie. After all of this, I'm more sure, of that now than ever. What's going on? What is that you need to tell me?"

Stefan hesitated. When he finally opened his mouth to respond, it snapped shut at the sound of Bonnie calling his name. He turned and sped back into the house without much thought and even as he made his way towards the sound of Bonnie's voice he couldn't' help but thinking that this wouldn't be the last time he would leave Elena behind to go to Bonnie's side.

:::

Jeremy Gilbert had mourned two girlfriends before he had mourned Bonnie Bennett. However, unlike Anna and Vicki, Bonnie hadn't really been dead. He was happy about the fact, ecstatic even. He_ really _was. It had been hard to stop touching her as she had pulled away from him after they'd reunited. Even then he hadn't been able to keep his eyes off of her. Hadn't been able to stop the smile that bloomed each time she looked in his direction. There was so much he felt. So much adoration, so much fucking relief.

Jeremy couldn't have been happier that Bonnie was alive and well and still his. Except, something was off. Even knowing what Damon and Stefan had done for her, that they had been hiding her all this time, it still didn't make sense to Jeremy that they had all gotten so _close_.

But as he watched Damon and Bonnie, there was no other way to describe it. The two were hovering over a pot of sauce Damon was cooking while Jeremy and Caroline sat at the kitchen table. Bonnie said she had news about how they would have to go about keeping her alive but apparently, they wanted to tell them over dinner. Elena and Stefan had gone outside to the porch to talk. Jeremy had at first assumed they were making up, but with the way they had been around one another lately, he wasn't one hundred percent sure.

Jeremy watched as Damon held out a spoon with sauce on it to Bonnie, his hand close to her lips and his body too close to Bonnie for Jeremy's liking. "Taste this," Damon said.

As Bonnie took the spoon into her mouth and licked her lips as she pulled away, Damon's eyes were on her mouth, watching the path of her tongue. Jeremy stiffened. He glanced at Caroline to see if he was the only one that noticed, and the blonde looked back at him with one eyebrow raised. He wasn't crazy then.

The only one who didn't seem to notice was Bonnie. But she had been the same way when he had pursued her, not noticing his flirting until he made his attentions overt and then she hadn't taken him seriously at first.

Jeremy watched her now as she responded to Damon, her hands playing with the hem of athe black Henley she was wearing that he was certain didn't belong to her. "It's good," she said, "Needs salt."

Damon huffed. "What are you talking about? It's perfect."

Bonnie shook her head. "I'm telling you it needs salt." At Damon unimpressed look she sighed. "Tie breaker?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Fine. Tie breaker."

Jeremy expected Bonnie to call him or Caroline over but instead Bonnie and Damon looked at one another at the same time and yelled, "Stefan!"

A few moments later Jeremy heard the front door close and Stefan was rushing into the kitchen, Elena trailing behind him at a slower pace. "What is it?" Stefan asked, moving directly towards Bonnie in a flash, "Is something wrong?"

Bonnie shook her head. "No, everything's fine." She took the spoon that Damon was now using to stir the sauce from Damon's hand and carefully ladled on a small amount of sauce into it before holding it up to Stefan's mouth. "Taste this."

Stefan also leaned in closer than absolutely necessary as he tasted the sauce. He licked his lips and Jeremy noted that this time Bonnie's eyes darted to Stefan's mouth so quickly he might've missed it if he weren't paying such close attention.

Stefan caught Bonnie's eye and winked before he voiced his own opinion on the sauce. "It's good," he said, and he looked at Damon. "Needs salt."

The smile that bloomed on Bonnie's face rivaled many Jeremy had witnessed and even Stefan's normal brooding expression gave way to laughter as Damon's expression became agitated.

"Screw you both," Damon said, "I'm_ not_ adding salt and I'm also never cooking for either of you ever again."

"So _dramatic_," Bonnie said, her tone teasing, just on the verge of flirty.

"Didn't you say that when you made those empanadas two days ago?" Stefan asked, grinning.

"_And _the coconut curry yesterday," Bonnie added.

Damon made a show of throwing the towel on his shoulder down on the counter. "I hate you both." He muttered, but he was smiling. "Assholes. The both of you. You don't deserve me."

"No one _deserves_ you, Damon," Stefan grinned, "You're more like cruel and unusual punishment."

Bonnie nodded. "Not even the most evil and vile person in the world's actions warrant having to spend time in your company. But we, martyrs that we are," she placed a hand over her chest dramatically, as Stefan covered up a laugh with a cough and she continued, "Have sacrificed ourselves for the greater good, forcing ourselves to spend time with you as to spare the general public of your presence. The world is just... unjust that way. So, the _least_ you could do, is cook us a meal occasionally."

As Stefan laughed outright, Jeremy almost expected Damon to blow up even if Bonnie was clearly joking. Though, there was more truth in her words than lies. But instead Damon shrugged. "Fair enough. But I'm still not adding salt." He said and then they were all laughing again.

Jeremy realized it wasn't just Bonnie, that the Salvatore brothers had gotten closer too. It was the first time he had seen the two of them laugh together, the first time he'd seen them act like brothers at all.

The moment was broken when Caroline cleared her throat and Elena offered to help set the table. But Jeremy took note.

When it was time to sit down for the meal, he expected Bonnie to sit next to him, but she ended up across from him. Stefan sat next to her and across from Elena. Damon sat at the end of the table closest to Bonnie and Caroline sat at the opposite end near Elena.

They ate pasta mostly in silence at first and then Elena broke it. "So," she said, "You said you found a way for Bonnie to channel the power without dying. What is it?"

Bonnie shared a look with both Salvatore brothers and Jeremy knew that he wouldn't like the answer. Then she launched into an explanation about contacting Emily and a blood bond and Jeremy lost his appetite. "Emily said that the problem is, even though I have enough power to take down Klaus, my body is weak and I need to bind myself to creatures more durable so that I could use the power without it killing me in the process."

"And, you would be able to channel the power through Stefan and Damon and it wouldn't harm you?" Caroline asked, once Bonnie stopped talking.

Bonnie nodded. "Right. But to do that we'd have to do the blood bond first, which would form a connection between the three of us that's virtually unbreakable and would bind us in mind, body, blood and soul," Bonnie sighed, before she continued, "We read up on it after talking to Emily. It's intense. We'd be sharing thoughts, feelings, urges, and traits. No one really knows to how great an extent because most people who've formed bonds like this in the past are extremely private and did so to...well...as a form of consummation for a romantic relationship."

"This bond makes you develop romantic feelings for each other?" Jeremy cut it.

Bonnie frowned. Shaking her head. "No. I just mean that, most of the documented cases of people going into these types of bonds are already established couples. Usually it's done when witches want to strengthen their connection with significant others or to surpass a bond with a familiar. It can be done with vampires, other witches, or werewolves. Not many people have had reason to form the bonds outside of strengthening existing relationships. Ours is kind of a special case in that we're using it so that I can be strong enough to withstand channeling so much power. But it doesn't mean it _has to_ result in anything romantic."

"But you'd be connected to them in every way possible. In ways you and I aren't connected and..." And she was Bonnie. She was beautiful and brave and gentle and smart and caring and strong. Of course, they'd fall for her. Even with Elena in the picture, Jeremy was sure of that. "You said it could be done with vampires, what about Caroline? If it's nothing romantic anyway, and you two are already friends, it'd probably just strengthen the bond you two have already so it wouldn't even be an issue, right?"

Jeremy felt bad for volunteering Caroline until she's spoke. "I'd be more than willing to if it would keep Bonnie alive," Caroline said, "And if it would spare her from having to be tied to Damon."

"She'd be tied to Stefan too," Damon scowled, "Not just me."

Caroline shrugged. "Your point? Clearly Stefan is the lesser of the two evils in this scenario. And I'm sure I'm preferable to you both as far as Bonnie is concerned."

"Caroline, is a vampire, yes," Stefan interjected, "But she's newly turned. She's not as strong as either of us. There's a chance if Bonnie used Caroline, it wouldn't be enough, and she'd die anyway. Emily was very clear; it has to be me and Damon."

"And you two are fine with this?" Jeremy asked, looking between Stefan and Damon.

Stefan nodded but it was Damon that spoke. "If it keeps witchy alive, then we're game."

Jeremy glanced at Elena. She was surprisingly quiet. He turned back to Bonnie. "You don't know that you have to channel the power at all anymore. Elijah has an elixir that could keep Elena from dying."

Bonnie sighed. "Emily did say that it could possibly work but...the elixir isn't one hundred percent. We'd still have Klaus to contend with either way. She implied that he wouldn't be done with any of us once he got what he wanted from the sacrifice. What he is, what he can do disrupts the balance of things. He has to die, and I can't kill him without harnessing that power."

"We could figure out another way-" Jeremy started, but Elena finally spoke up.

"We're out of time, Jeremy," Elena said, "If the alternative is Bonnie dying then they need to do this. Whatever it takes to keep her alive. She's not going to die for me or anyone else. We _just_ got her back. I can't lose her again. _I won't_. I don't care about the fall out as long as she's alive at the end of it." She reached across the table a took Bonnie's hand. She shared a look with Stefan and the Salvatore nodded. Elena squeezed Bonnie's hand and said, "She's done more than her share of sacrificing for me. I'm willing to do the same."

Bonnie looked like she might cry but cleared her throat instead. "Thank you, Elena."

As Elena let go of Bonnie's hand, Jeremy felt like an asshole. Of course, that was the most important thing, but he was feeling as if, whether Bonnie lived or not, he was bound to lose her anyway. "I don't like it," he whispered, "But you're right."

An awkward silence followed that was only broken when Stefan spoke. "Bonnie?" He said.

Jeremy expected Stefan to give her empty words of comfort that would likely just make her feel more guilty than she already did. He didn't want that. He moved to speak but Bonnie spoke first.

Bonnie stopped pushing the food around her plate and looked at Stefan. "Yes?"

"Can you pass the salt?" Stefan asked.

Bonnie raised an eyebrow but used her powers to pass him the salt anyway.

Stefan made a show of sprinkling it over his food. When he took a bite, he made a theatric, "Mmmmm," sound and said, "That's _so_ _much _better."

Bonnie laughed and she seemed to relax.

Damon threw down his fork. "You're such a _jackass_," Damon muttered and then he was laughing too. "If you two are going to just be teaming up against me for who the hell knows how long then I'm out. No bond and definitely no more meals."

"You're such a baby," Bonnie grinned, "It's not our fault you're wrong like, ninety-nine percent of the time."

Stefan shrugged. "More like one hundred percent of the time, but that's generous of you Bonnie. I respect that," he said.

"Hey, I'm right when it counts," Damon interjected, "I was right about the spell that faked Bonnie's death. Give me _some _credit."

Jeremy frowned as she Bonnie nudged Damon playfully. "That was the one percent I was talking about. See Stefan, ninety-nine percent."

The three of them looked as if they were in their own little world and they hadn't even done the damn bonding spell yet. Jeremy couldn't watch anymore.

He got up from the table and walked through the house not stopping until he reached the front porch. He hadn't realized Bonnie had followed until he heard her voice. "Jeremy would you stop," she said, "Just _talk_ to me."

"I just got you back," Jeremy frowned, "I _just_ got you back. You have no idea how much I missed you. And you've been alive this whole time. I didn't get to be here for you. You had to figure out a way out for yourself and you trusted _them_ and not me. You hated them. Especially Damon and now the three of you are in there joking around like old friends. You're all of sudden more comfortable around them than me and then I found out on top of that you're going to be bound to them irrevocably for the better part of forever. How did you expect me to react?"

"I know that this is hard for you. But...I want to _live_ Jeremy and I'm not going to apologize for that. If there was another way-"

Jeremy sighed. "You don't have to apologize for wanting to live, Bonnie," he frowned, "I want you to live, too. I just...I feel like I just got you back and I'm losing you all over again."

"You're not losing me Jeremy. I'll still be me. I'll still be here." Bonnie reached out and took his hand. "If Stefan, Damon and I are getting along better it's not just because they were there for me, it's because we're just trying to make the best out of a fucked up situation. If we didn't have to lie the way that we did, I know you would have been right here, by my side. And I know its selfish to ask you to stay beside me with all of this, but I'm dealing with enough already without having more guilt piled on. I'm doing what I need to do to save myself and I need you to not make me feel like shit about it."

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. I just...you'll still be you, right? Only with the shared feelings and traits of two vampires you claimed to hate." Jeremy pinched the bridge of his nose, his frustration getting the better of him. "The three of you are already acting different and this bond thing hasn't even happened yet."

Bonnie wrapped her arms around herself. "I mean, yeah," she admitted, "We've pretty much been cooped up in this cabin with only each other for company, the last few days. Of course, we got closer. Especially after everything they've done for me. We're friends now, I guess."

"You're doing it again," Jeremy said, "You're downplaying things so I won't get hurt, the same way you did when you told me you had a fifty percent chance of surviving if you used all that power when you knew it would kill you. I don't need you to protect me, Bonnie. I need you to be _honest_. So be honest."

Bonnie bit her lip. "I don't know what you want me to say," she said, "If you're worried about something romantic happening between me and Stefan or me and Damon then don't. They don't see me that way. They both love Elena and this spell isn't going to change that."

Jeremy noticed that Bonnie deliberately didn't mention the possibility of her own feelings changing. Or her feelings for him. "Don't forget that you're talking to someone who knows how easy it is to fall for you," Jeremy sighed, "I don't think Damon even knows what it means to love someone. I mean, he cares about Elena sure, but _clearly, _he cares about you too. And, yes, Stefan loves Elena, but...you haven't seen them the last few days. We were all a mess without you and...Elena more than anyone and he didn't stay and help her through that. He chose to be here with _you, instead_. That means something, whether you want to face it or not. And after you cast this spell, they'll be able to feel what you feel, even those feelings you push down to protect everyone. Even those feelings you push aside to protect me. They'll hear what you think. They'll know you inside and out in a way I can't know you. Because even now you won't let me in. How am I supposed to compete with that?"

Bonnie didn't have an answer and he didn't expect her to. "So, you're saying you want to break up?" Bonnie asked.

Jeremy placed his hands on her shoulders. "No," he leaned forward until their foreheads touched, "I'm saying that I don't want to lose you. But right now,...I feel like it's inevitable. I'm saying if you do this, I don't know what else to do besides let you go. But you can't _not _do this. You deserve to live and be happy and I would rather see you alive and well and not with me than have to mourn you all over again. Because... I love you. I just...whatever happens, I want you to know that."

He wasn't expecting the first time he said that to be when they were edging near a breakup, but he always did have bad time when it came to relationships.

"If you love me," Bonnie frowned, "Then why give up on us because of some hypothetical future between me and one of the Salvatore brothers. Who knows? We could find a loophole and this whole could be temporary...even if we don't...we'll get closer as friends sure, but that doesn't mean it'll go beyond that. Spells can't _create_ romantic feelings. This isn't a Disney movie, Jere."

"Maybe not but where does romance come from, anyway? From _knowing_ someone. From _caring_ about them. From feeling a connection with them. The spell may not create love but it sure as hell would be giving you the means to fall for one or _both _of them at some point."

Bonnie couldn't argue with his logic, so she didn't.

"But...I'll fight for us, if that's what you want." He told her. "I'm all in with you. If you can tell me that you missed me while you've been here. That you thought about me every second of every day the way I did you. If you can say, that you love me, too."

"Of course, I love you," she said, "I missed you. I just..." Before she got the words out, he knew what was coming. She hadn't thought about him every day. She hadn't missed him in the way he missed her. She still had feelings for him, but Bonnie didn't love him as much as he loved her.

He could make excuses in his mind. Of course, he missed her more, he'd thought she was dead. But there was still the uncertainty in the air and even now he felt like she was protecting his feelings. Babysitting him so he wouldn't go off the rails. Not trusting him as a partner. He wasn't sure if the person she became after the bond would still want him, but he still wanted her. And so, he said, "You're right, I'm freaking out over some hypothetical future that might not happen. Let's just get through this. You do what you need to do to stay alive. We won't make any decisions about us until after Klaus is dead and you and Elena are safe. Okay?"

"Okay," Bonnie nodded. When Bonnie stood on her toes and kissed him, he knew even with her words, there wouldn't be many more to come.

**:::**

Stefan stood in what Bonnie had dubbed the Green Room and looked up at the night stars. He had been right, things hadn't gone back to normal. However, what was normal for any of them anyway. The ideal normal for Elena, Bonnie and everyone else would be what their world had been before him, before Damon, before Klaus. But letting Bonnie go meant letting her die and he couldn't that. However, the more he thought about it, the more he knew that letting Elena go would be the right thing to do.

He sighed, as he heard footsteps behind him. He recognized the footsteps, recognized the scent. Elena. Where there had once been excitement at being in her presence, there was guilt and anxiety. Worse than that, a part of him didn't want to see her there, in Bonnie's Green Room. In their Green Room, where he and Bonnie and his brother had built a home. It didn't seem as if she belonged.

"I came to say goodnight," Elena said, "Bonnie, Care and I are going to sleep in the same room. One last slumber party just in case things don't work out with the sacrifice or...the bond."

Stefan sighed. "Elena-" he started, but she cut him off.

"You're different," she said, "The way you act with Damon. With Bonnie. Ever since I've known you, you've been ready to give up on Damon. But seeing you two when you're with Bonnie, you're acting like brothers. Real brothers. I'm glad. She brings out something in you both of you. The two of you seem...I don't know, lighter, I guess. Her too, she hasn't smiled much the last few months or laughed. She's happy."

Stefan opened his mouth to try again. "Elena, I love you."

Elena, nodded, smiled sadly. "I know," she said, "I love you, too. Probably more than I've ever loved any guy I've ever been with. But I love Bonnie, more. Listen, I need to get this out so just don't talk until I'm done, okay?"

Stefan took a deep breath. "Okay," he agreed.

"When I was mourning Bonnie," Elena began, "I wasn't just mourning the loss of my best friend, I was mourning the life she could have had. The dreams she talked about that she would never accomplish. It made me realize that, I had my own dreams before you. Before all of this. We all did. Thanks to you, and Damon, Bonnie has a chance to live her life. I love you even more for that. Because what you're doing for her, is something so selfless and so you."

It wasn't selfless, not entirely. He wanted Bonnie to live. He didn't want to lose her, and he didn't want to feel the guilt he would feel if he did. He had his own motives. But Stefan kept quiet like Elena asked.

"But when Bonnie ran out of time," Elena said, "When I thought she was dead I realized that the choices I thought I had time to make could not only be taken away from me, but I didn't have as much time as I made myself think I did. Bonnie asked me, after you saved her life when Damon attacked her the night that Emily possessed her, what kind of future the two of us could have together. I didn't have an answer. I've been avoiding answering that question ever since then. I liked the idea of being with you forever, but I never wanted to be a vampire Stefan. I've never wanted that, even before I knew it would mean sharing you with someone else for part of that eternity."

Stefan was surprised she had come to the conclusion he had surmised on her own, but he shouldn't have been. It was inevitable. He had known it, the moment they started. Had tried to end it more than once because of it. Things had never been easy between them, there was always angst and uncertainty, even in their happier moments. They had been harder recently and even without his upcoming bond with Bonnie, he wasn't sure how much longer they would have made it.

"You and I...," Elena said, voicing his thoughts, "As much as we love each other we were never meant to be together forever, the future I want and the future we could have are two different things. So, I'm letting you go. I just need you to promise me something."

"Anything," Stefan said, readily.

Elena took deep breath and pressed forward. "Take care of Bonnie," she said, "You know more than anyone that she goes to bat for the people she cares about, and she cares about you now...and Damon. Just make sure she gets as good as she gives, okay? I know you can't make any promises as far as Damon is concerned but I trust you and Bonnie deserves to have someone like you care about her. Because I know what it's like to be loved by you and if anyone deserves that kind of devotion Bonnie does."

"I can promise to take care of her and to keep her safe. I've promised her that already, and I plan on keeping it. But Elena, you don't have to worry about Bonnie falling for either of us. She's too smart for that. And, as far as me..., you shouldn't put too much stock into what Jeremy was saying at dinner. I've never believed I was good for you, why would I think either of us would be good for Bonnie?"

Elena walked up to him and took his face in her hands. "We can't control who we love, Stefan," she said, "But you know that. And maybe I'm wrong, maybe you won't fall for her. Maybe you'll just be friends for the better part of Bonnie's existence. Keep her safe while she lives her life and follows her dreams and finds love with someone else. Or maybe, I'm right and you've fallen a little bit already. I don't know. What I _do_ know is, when Lexi came to town and she asked you why you fell for me, she told me that you said it was because I'm kind and selfless. Bonnie more than fits the bill for that. You were interested in knowing her before, when you first came to town and told me she seemed like a good friend. Don't say it was for my sake because we both know that's a lie. Now that she's softening towards you and letting you in, you're going to see how amazing she is. With this bond thing, I probably wouldn't stand a chance either way. She's kind of incredible. She's my best friend, I should know."

Stefan laughed and shook his head. "She is," he agreed, and then, "You're kind of incredible, too. I don't know what will happen after we do this bond tomorrow. But I do know that I grateful to you, for not making me or Bonnie feel bad about this. Thank you, for being Bonnie's friend. Thank you, for loving me and bringing me back to life the way you did. We're going to take Klaus down. When this over, I want you to live your life and be happy."

Elena stood on her toes and kissed him for what Stefan knew would be the last time. "I want you to be happy, too," she said, "Whatever that means for you, and however it happens. Goodnight, Stefan."

As Elena walked away from him, Stefan was finally able to let go of some of the guilt he had been holding onto or so long. But he was scared as well, because everything that Elena had said about Bonnie was true. Even though he had let Elena go, after the bond happened, he would never be able to do the same for Bonnie, even if she deserved better. Even if she deserved normal. He would just have to keep his promise to both Bonnie and Elena and take care of her.

**:::**

Bonnie sat on her bed in her guest room, Caroline on one side of her and Elena on the other. It reminded her of countless sleepovers from the past. This was different though; it was on the eve of not just the blood bond but the Klaus's ritual. It felt as if nothing would ever be the same again.

Bonnie had for all intents and purposes been dumped, for one. Jeremy hadn't done it outright, but she wasn't naïve enough to not know the inevitable outcome. The thing was, she understood Jeremy's concerns in a sense. A part of her even realized that even without the bond they would've outgrown each other, that she had already outgrown him. She hadn't even trusted him enough to tell him the truth about what channeling the power could do to her at first. He was right, she was always trying to protect his feelings. Treating him more as a little brother she had to pacify and placate so he wouldn't worry, than a boyfriend. Then an _equal_. She didn't feel as she if she could always talk to him and be completely honest. Still, she didn't think his fears regarding Damon and Stefan were completely warranted. They'd never fall for her in a million years, no matter the circumstance.

"Jeremy suggested that we put our relationship on hold until after we deal with Klaus," Bonnie said.

She waited for a reaction, but Elena didn't seem shocked. Caroline spoke up, however. "Why would he do that? He was out of his mind when we thought you were dead. Besides, considering how he acted at dinner, I thought for sure he'd try to hold onto you even tighter."

"He wants to, I think. But he's scared, about the blood bond," Bonnie told her, "He thinks things will get complicated afterwards. He wants to let me go so I don't feel obligated to him when I'm so tied to other people." Bonnie looked down at her hands. "I tried to talk him out of it. But a part of me understood why he'd feel that way, you know? I don't think all of what he said was warranted but I know this is hard for him and I know he's not sure if I'll be the same. If I'll still want him once all is said and done."

Caroline sighed. "I hate to say this but, I think he's right," she said, "He did the right thing. Its already complicated. And the three of you are already closer. Just because he put your relationship on hold, doesn't mean you won't be able to work it out later. I think you need to see what this bond will feel like first. What it will be like beyond the hypothetical. it's a huge deal. And you're you. I'm a vampire, and I know more than you how heightened everything is for us. Our senses and our emotions are already in overdrive. That coupled with the effects of the spell, with them being able to be in your head and feel what you feel on top of already heightened everything. I mean I wouldn't be surprised if Stefan or Damon ended up actually falling for-"

Bonnie elbowed Caroline in the side and looked pointedly in Elena's direction. "I doubt it," Bonnie said, "So maybe, don't put it out there. Stefan loves Elena, and Damon has feelings for her so-"

"Bonnie, it's okay," Elena interrupted, "Stefan and I broke up." Bonnie frowned and was about to immediately blame herself and Elena held up her hand. "It wasn't because of the bond," she sighed, "I mean...it didn't help or anything but... When we thought you were dead, I took stock of things. I thought about my future and what I wanted. I thought...I figured I owed it to you to actually think about what I wanted my life to be like, because yours was... or we thought it was over. Anyway, I thought about what it would take for Stefan and me, to have a future together. I mean, I always knew I'd eventually have to make that choice. If I wanted to stay human or not. I thought I could figure it out along the way. But...I was trying to think of every possible solution to keeping me alive after the sacrifice. I thought about the possibility of becoming a vampire. Doing what Katherine did to avoid it the first time around or just dying with vampire blood in my system during the ritual. I realized I never wanted that. I never wanted to be a vampire. That you wouldn't be the only one I would have to watch die if I became one. That it would change me in ways that I didn't want to change. That Stefan and I would never have a future that would be a happy one. So...I ended things."

Bonnie frowned. She understood. Had told Elena that more than once. Had made the point when she and had Stefan broken up the first time after Katherine's resurfacing. "So, you did it for _you_, then," Bonnie nodded, "If that's the case, then I'm glad. One of us should at least be able to have normal life. To be able to choose whether or not we want to be tied to vampires. And you will, when all of this if over. But just because you two are broken up doesn't mean that anything is going to happen in between me and Stefan or me and Damon for that matter. That's ridiculous."

Elena placed her hand over Bonnie's. "It'd be okay if it did," she said, "I mean, I still love Stefan. Ending things was just...speeding up the inevitable. I won't say it wouldn't be hard to see him with someone else. Especially, you, because you're my best friend. But in a weird way, I probably wouldn't ever trust anyone else to make him happy. You're both always making sacrifices for the people you love, and I don't know, maybe you could temper that in each other. Or Damon could counteract it a bit in you both, because you and Stefan could stand to be a little selfish. I might worry about them fighting over you except... I mean...watching you with them. They're getting along better than I've ever seen them. Not just with each other but with you. And I know we have more important things to worry about and Stefan and I just broke up and Damon has trouble expressing-"

"The full range of human emotions?" Bonnie cut it.

Caroline grinned. "Pretty much that."

Elena rolled her eyes. "I know you two haven't witnessed it as much as me, but he's changed a lot for the better in the time I've known him at least."

"I see that," Bonnie admitted, "To a certain extent. He wouldn't have bothered with this whole plan to keep me alive if he hadn't. But that doesn't mean that the three of us are suddenly just going to ride off into the sunset."

"I'm not trying to push you one way or another," Elena said, "All I'm saying is, let whatever is going to happen, happen. If something _does_ happen, don't be afraid to go after what you want because of me or Jeremy or anyone else. When we thought you died, my biggest regret aside from not being a better friend to you was that you didn't get to live your life. The one_ you_ wanted, the one _you_ chose. You were willing to sacrifice that for me, and that's not a small thing. If at any point you want either of them, if you choose either of them, then don't let what anyone else feels stop you. You've done enough for me, for all of us. You don't always have to be the one that makes your choices based on other people's feelings. You don't always have to be the one to sacrifice for everyone else's sake."

Bonnie sighed. It was something that she needed to hear. Especially from Elena. Since waking, Bonnie had been willing to fight to stay alive and she never wanted to have to apologize for developing some sense of self-preservation and wanting to have a chance to experience the things she had yet to experience. She was happy that Elena understood that. But the rest of it, pertaining to the Salvatore brothers, just seemed so off base and she didn't want to dwell on it.

"Alright, I get it," Bonnie said, "I appreciate the sentiment. _I do. _ I just don't see the possibility either of them having a future with me being anymore tangible than one with you, someone they both _actually_ have romantic feelings for. So, let's drop this because I _really_ don't think anything is going to happen. I don't want to be a vampire any more than you do. Neither of them, see me that way. We're barely friends and honestly, I could easily say that part of the reason they're even willing to do this, is some debt they think they owe me and my family. Also, so that _you_ won't have to deal with losing me again."

Bonnie didn't want to think about any of this. They already had enough to worry about, and she was already feeling guilty enough where Jeremy was concerned. She thought about the moment when Stefan had come home, when he and Damon had fixed her hair. There was awareness there. A tension. But that had been one moment in a sea of moments between them all and most of the others up until recently had been negative. It didn't mean anything.

Caroline eyed her and Bonnie knew she would likely say something Bonnie didn't want to hear before she spoke. "Okay," Caroline said, "I'm only entertaining this at all because I'd rather talk about this than the whole impending doom and gloom that Klaus is likely to bring. And no, I wouldn't be happy at all if you got involved with Stefan or Damon, particularly Damon for obvious reasons the past can't erase. I actually really like Stefan but he's far from perfect. You deserve better than both of them. You are hands down, way too good for either of them."

Elena nodded, before Bonnie could respond. "I love Stefan and I care about Damon, but I'm not going to argue that point. It's valid and true."

Bonnie grinned. "Wow, good something we can finally all agree on in this ridiculous and unnecessary conversation."

"That being said," Caroline continued, "I'd be _more _surprised, if _you_ actually returned their feelings, than if either of them, fell for you. I mean, first of all, you're beautiful, smart, powerful, determined, loyal, and strong enough to take care of yourself. Though, you really need to learn how to rely on other people. Because you're strong but you can't be strong all the time, and you shouldn't have to be. But _we _alsoneed to be better friends, so you can actually feel like you _can _rely on us. So, it goes both ways. Anyway, you have a lot going for you that would appeal to _any_ guy. My second point, if this were just an obligation, because of Elena or some promise they made to Emily or whatever dead ancestor still threatening to kick their ass if they don't keep it, neither of them would have any trouble saying so. Especially Damon. Particularly seeing as if either of them were still entertaining being with Elena, it would likely make her feel more secure if they did. But they haven't."

Bonnie frowned. Caroline was making valid points. Neither of them had been shy about expressing what they would do for Elena in the past. Especially Damon. In fact, they had both gone out of their way to make sure Bonnie knew that she was their chief concern in this particular situation and that they were going into it for her sake and would have done so whether Elena or anyone else objected or not. .

"And as far as them not being interested in you," Caroline said, interrupting Bonnie's thoughts, "you never notice when men are so I'm not even going to respond to that because you won't listen. Besides, I'm sure Jeremy already poked holes in that bit of logic and you're just choosing to ignore it. Because you, no doubt, tried that argument with him when he talked about the possibility of ending things. What I would like to point out lastly is that, as adamant as you are about them not being interested in you, you haven't said anything about how you feel about them or the possibility of you falling for one of them."

Bonnie frowned. She liked being around them both more than she thought she would. She liked getting to know them and being known. They made her laugh. She liked the small gestures of affection they were beginning to show her. She liked falling asleep and waking up next to them, surrounded by their warmth. She liked the weird little home they had made for themselves for a little while in the cabin. She wasn't sure beyond that. She was barely beginning to feel safe being friends with them, if anything romantic ever developed she'd likely runaway screaming.

"If I'm being honest," Bonnie said, "I never really thought about the possibility until Jeremy brought it up. And I don't really want to think about it now, which means it's probably not impossible, but like I said, I don't want to be a vampire and I'll probably find a loophole in any case-"

"Wait," Elena said, frowning, "You said that witches have entered into bonds like this before with vampires. That some even used it as a way to consummate their romantic relationships. So, what if they used it in place of them being turned? I mean, you always say you can be an abomination of nature or a servant of nature but not, both right? So, if a witch were to get involved with vampire and not be willing to be turned, so she wouldn't lose her powers, what if someone created a spell so that wouldn't happen. You said you'd take on their traits, so what if, as long as you're bound to them, you stop aging. Your lives would be tied to theirs, so what if you live as long as they did, if it was all some loophole to gain immortality without being a vampire."

Bonnie stared. Emily had said they'd be bound in every way. And when they had researched, they found out their life forces would be tied together, so as long as they were bound, she'd be alive as long as they were alive and vice versa. Would it be that much of a stretch to assume she'd stop aging? And of course, this would be the one spell Bonnie wasn't sure there was a loophole for.

"If it makes you feel any better," Elena said, her tone teasing, "Stefan is really good in bed. Made it worth dealing with the psychotic ex-girlfriend, and when he went off the rails after going back on human blood. He's a very attentive lover."

"From what I can remember of the parts I actually consented to outside compulsion and being used as a blood bag, Damon was pretty good too," Caroline said, "So you know, if nothing else, if you do go the romance route when you finally lose your virginity you're going to have a really good time."

They were trying to make light of the situation, Bonnie was sure, but even their attempts at it made her feel heavier. On the eve of being bound to Stefan and Damon was not the time she wanted to be reminded of Damon's abusive history or the fact that Stefan was screwing her best friend up until recently, couldn't handle his human blood intake, and they both still had ties to Katherine.

She had gone from being almost alright with the idea of what they had to do to keep her alive to being completely and utterly terrified. She had almost let herself forget that both Stefan and Damon were monsters in their own way, and it could be a toss-up, in terms of what she would have to be dealing with when it was all said done. "This is the worse sleepover we've ever had," Bonnie said to no one in particular.

No matter what happened, after tomorrow, things would be different. She would be different. She would live, but what kind of life was she signing up for. What would that mean for her? What would that mean for Stefan and Damon? They wouldn't know until after the bond was performed, how it would affect them on the other side. Either way, Bonnie promised herself that she would keep her boundaries up. If she had it her way, nothing romantic would ever happen between her and either Salvatore.

_**End Notes: Next chapter Damon speaks to Caroline and Elena. Bonnie has a conversation with the Salvatore. The blood bond happens. Bonnie is uncertain about the future as the Sacrifice looms. Thanks for reading folks! Review, review, review!**_


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